By Lisa F. Crites
As a former health and medical television reporter, and now a medical print columnist, I’ve interviewed hundreds of people with chronic or terminal illnesses. I’ve learned how to pull raw, unfiltered emotion from patients so readers can truly feel their journey. And no matter the story, my last question was always the same: “What’s the one message you want our viewers to take away?”
Now, as I relive so much of my own breast cancer experience while writing Beautifully Unbroken, I ask myself that same question: “What is it that I want my readers to take from this book?”
Here’s what I want you to know: Breast cancer does not only effect physical change but can also effect psychological change. There’s life before a breast cancer diagnosis, and life after. And let me tell you, before and after are as different as black and white, night and day, Venus and Mars, which, of course, brings to mind the differences between men and women, thanks to Dr. John Gray. It’s like watching the rain from inside your house versus standing in it. Inside, you stay dry. Outside, you are soaked. And after a breast cancer diagnosis, you are drenched. Soaked with fragility, sorrow, fear and trauma.
“You have breast cancer.” Those words changed my life at 41 years of age, just like they do for hundreds of thousands of women every year. That’s why I want to focus on the before and after of the disease and its psychological impact.
I often wonder if my mother’s death, my father’s lack of paternal empathy after her passing, and my divorce a few years later all contributed to my diagnosis. Nearly a decade of chronic worry, psychological imbalance, trauma, grief, depression and persistent anxiety created the kind of stress that can wear down the body. According to UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, chronic stress has a profound effect on how your body’s systems function. Research shows stress does not directly cause cancer, but it can accelerate tumor growth and metastasis by weakening the immune system. Adrenaline and cortisol, the fight-or-flight hormones, can create an environment where cancer cells are more likely to thrive.
In hindsight, I believe that’s what happened to me. My body was under so much emotional and psychological strain that it created the conditions for a tumor to form in my right breast and possibly set the stage for cancer in my left. Chronic fear, grief, and trying to rebuild a sense of normalcy after my mother’s death and my divorce were powerful fuel.
Even now, fifteen years later, I still feel moments of FEAR—False Emotions Appearing Real—when I think about the original diagnosis, the months of treatment, the infections and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding my reconstruction. That fear has likely added a layer of mild PTSD. According to the National Institutes of Health, that is common. Survivors often struggle with anxiety, depression, avoidance, diminished self-esteem, body image issues and even survivor’s guilt. Fatigue, sleep disturbances and changes in identity or sexuality are also common. Add in the cognitive effects of chemotherapy, mental fog, memory lapses and slower thinking, and it becomes clear that the psychological impact can be just as significant as the physical one.
But here’s the truth: Resilience is possible.
Life is about how we adapt, how we recover and how we grow. Like a rubber band that stretches but does not break, or a tree that bends in the wind but remains rooted, resilience is not about avoiding pain. It is about developing the strength to move through it. Practices like gratitude, mindfulness and therapy can make a meaningful difference.
It has taken me years, but I have found healthier ways to manage my emotions. When anxiety creeps in about future health complications, I talk myself through it. “Lisa, take the emotion out of this. Focus on the facts. You are healthy today. You have no infection today. You are strong and resilient. If complications arise, you will find the best of care.” On days when fear or PTSD begins to surface, I remind myself: I live by a personal acronym, CARGO: Courage. Authenticity. Resilience. Gratitude. Originality. That framework keeps me grounded and moving forward.
Excerpt from Beautifully Unbroken by Lisa F. Crites ©2026. Reprinted with permission. Available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
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