Karen Iverson is a 46 year old teacher, artist and photographer who is currently living in Oklahoma pursing her Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She is also a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma at the age of 39 in 2012. Her treatment included multiple surgeries, chemotherapy and now, she is on endocrine (hormonal) therapy with anastrozole (Arimidex). She has written a book about her experience, called “Winning the Breast Cancer Battle: Empowering Warriors and Guiding Loved Ones” which also provides tips for others going through a similar experience.
On today’s episode, we talk about the importance of honesty, trust and transparent communication in the doctor-patient relationship, why Karen chose not to go for a second opinion, how she copes with the fear of recurrence and how she lives her life with gratitude.
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(Photo and permission to post provided by Karen Iverson)
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a thoughtful and reassuring conversation about the experience of breast cancer diagnosis, the challenges of treatment, rediscovering how to thrive, and the occasional need to seek support