YOU HAVE CANCER. Now What?

The aftermath of a diagnosis can feel like navigating uncharted waters. Here's how to right the ship.

- by LORA SHINN

When Karen Jackson was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer in her 40s, she was overwhelmed by emotions: anger, fear, disappointment and deep concern. Many people find themselves in this position after a cancer diagnosis — as if in a boat adrift, without a clear map of where they're headed or a chart to help them interpret the night sky.

"It made me determined and fueled my passion to make a difference," Jackson recalls. In 1994, she founded Sisters Network Inc. to address the breast cancer mortality rates among Black women and connect newly diagnosed women with survivors.

"When you are diagnosed with any cancer, you become a part of a special sisterhood or community," Jackson says. "The diagnosis is only the beginning. It's important that survivors support, empower and learn from one another through treatment and beyond. Only we truly understand what it means to hear the words 'You have cancer.'"

If you have just been diagnosed, it's crucial to have practical, emotional and logistical tools and plans. The nine suggestions here, from women who have been affected, can help you regain some agency.

Focus on positive decisions you can make.

One of the scariest aspects of having cancer is feeling as if you've lost control of your life, says Veronika Panagiotou, Ph.D., director of advocacy and programs at Cancer Nation (formerly National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship). Panagiotou, now 36, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma days after her 25th birthday.