Diandra On Motherhood & Overcoming Breast Cancer

Meet Diandra

I am a Twin Mama and Breast Cancer advocate. Sharing my journey of life and resilience beyond Cancer.

What was going through your mind when you discovered your own cancer without symptoms?

In my experience, the emotions behind a cancer discovery seem to roll in waves. At first the fear and shock hit you like a tonne of bricks. The ‘C’ word is scary AF, so even just hearing the word shakes you to your core.

Once you’ve had a beat to process that you in fact need to be treated for breast cancer, you find yourself in what I like to call ‘problem-solver’ mode. Every case of breast cancer is like a snowflake, so you can easily spiral while searching for answers to your individual diagnosis all while trying to make sense of it all.

Thankfully, a sense of hopefulness starts to kick in as you’re better educated on your treatment plan. Courage and positivity begin to step in, in the form of community, family, friends and your personal health-care team.

I genuinely knew that there was no option to back down, and as Robert Frost famously quoted, “The best way out is always through.”

How did having young twins and going through breast cancer impact your ability to care for yourself?

Being a parent meant that I absolutely had to navigate how my breast cancer treatment would impact our children.

At the time of my diagnosis our children were simply too young to understand, so we made a family decision not to share specific details with them to maintain a sense of normalcy in the day to day.

This became more challenging as the effects of treatment wore on (i.e. chemotherapy, radiation, hair loss, low energy etc).

There’s no sugar-coating it - being a ‘healthy’ parent takes every ounce of energy, so I found it immensely challenging to be ‘supermama’ while also finding the mental and physical capacity to focus on how I should be showing up in my own healing journey.

What do you wish more people knew about caring for someone with breast cancer.

I really wish more people were educated on the nuances of mental health while caring for someone with cancer. It’s an emotional rollercoaster for the patient and their primary caregivers at home could benefit equally from support at every step of the way.

I can only speak for myself, but I was not able to unpack emotions until after the treatment was complete. Our family and friends would have benefited from a little extra time spent navigating how the physical and mental toll of cancer treatments are truly a symbiotic relationship.

How has this experience shifted your relationship with your body or identity as a mom, wife, friend, family member?

As beautiful as they are, my scars remind me every day of how my relationship with my body has evolved. I am saddened by the changes I see on the surface, but I also find a deep sense of strength and resilience in knowing what my mind and body endured to get to where I am today.

Without a doubt, my lived experience with breast cancer has empowered me as a more understanding and empathetic mom, wife, friend and family member.