Cancer Warriors Supporting Cancer Warriors
- Singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash is sharing some uplifting news about her daughter's cancer diagnosis.
- Cash shared today that her daughter, Hannah Crowell, has completed chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer.
- Crowell says that from the time she was diagnosed, she knew she would get through it because of modern science and medicine, but she wouldn't have been able to do it without her support system.
Cash, daughter of famous musician Johnny Cash, posted a photo of her daughter, Hannah Crowell, to Instagram today with a positive update: Crowell has completed chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer.
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Hannah's Cancer Battle
On Aug. 22, Crowell posted to Instagram that seven weeks prior, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. (The stage and type of her cancer haven't been made public.) Two weeks prior to sharing the news, she had a double mastectomy breast cancer surgery that removes the entire breast. And 10 days after sharing the news, she was set to begin treatment, which she's now finished nearly three months later.
Related: When Should You Consider a Mastectomy?
"I am doing SO much better than I could have ever imagined great really and still it's been a dizzying and surreal 2 months to say the least," she writes on Instagram.
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Cancer Warriors Supporting Cancer Warriors
Cancer warriors supporting fellow cancer warriors is a powerful thing. And having breast cancer is almost like a sisterhood one no one wants to be part of, but that only makes the bond stronger, which is something Crowell can attest to.
"I would not have been able to navigate this gracefully without the guidance of the women that have gone through this before me," she writes on Instagram. "You know who you are, I love you with all my heart and I fully intend to give that same love and guidance to the women that unfortunately will follow after me."
The support from family like your mother, Rosanne Cash friends, or even those who understand what you're going through, like in Crowell's case, is what's going to get you through. This is something fellow cancer survivor Kelly Sargent can agree with. She moved to San Antonio, Texas, not knowing anyone, but she says she's been "blessed with having met some incredible ladies."
The Benefit of Support Networks for Cancer Patients
"When I was diagnosed (with ovarian cancer), as soon as I got in the hospital, I started going online to find not only information, but also support groups, stories from survivors, anything that I could find as far as my treatment I definitely looked for," she tells SurvivorNet. "I have an incredible set of friends that I met after my diagnosis through a Bible study group that have become very, very close friends of mine that are an incredible part of my support system. That support from those ladies has been life-changing for me."
Crowell says that from the time she was diagnosed, she knew she would get through it because of modern science and medicine, which are "truly beautiful and amazing," but she wouldn't have been able to do it without her support system.
Related: Five Ways to Support Someone After a Cancer Diagnosis Never Say 'How Can I Help?'
"I am surrounded by the most supportive and loving family and friends a girl could dream of and then there are these gorgeous and magical creatures that I have the great privilege of mothering," she writes. "I am not about to miss a second of that."
"Cancer is some tough shit but I have never been more aware and grateful for how much love I have in this world of mine. I really lucked out."
'Never, Ever Miss a Mammogram'
Crowell shares that she's normally a private individual, but she's using her story to raise awareness. Her message: never, ever miss a mammogram.
"I want to tell every single person I cross paths with to never, ever miss a mammogram," she writes. "To make sure their moms, grandmothers, wives, friends, the lady at the post office never miss theirs. I am young, I have no history of cancer anywhere in my genetics, I never in a million years would have thought this would happen to me and I am also quite sure that had I put off my mammogram another 6 months it would have been stage 4. Thank god I didn't."
Dr. Connie Lehman, director of the breast imaging clinic at Mass General Hospital in Boston, has the same message as Crowell: It's very important for women to get a mammogram every year, especially if you haven't yet gone through menopause, she tells SurvivorNet.
When Should I Get a Mammogram?
"We know that cancers grow more rapidly in our younger patients, and having that annual mammogram can be lifesaving," Dr. Lehman says. "After menopause, it may be perfectly acceptable to reduce that frequency to every two years."
"But what I'm most concerned about is the women who haven't been in for a mammogram for two, three, or four years, those women that have never had a mammogram," she adds. "We all agree regular screening mammography saves lives."
Crowell says that if she put off her mammogram for another six months, her breast cancer might have reached stage 4. In other words, getting a mammogram saved her life.
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