Keiko is pursuing her doctorate in social work. When she’s not serving mothers and women in her private practice, she enjoys spending time with her two children. Although Keiko has big goals for herself, they were accelerated after her diagnosis with breast cancer in her late 30s. She shared how she and her doctor caught it at an early stage, but it was happening at the same time she’d joined a group practice and was building her caseload. “How do I deal with this?” Keiko reflected, “there’s no good time to have cancer.”
Keiko understood that as a small business owner, she couldn’t take time off or slow down without the risk of lost income. “I think I was in shock at first, then I was too busy to feel anything.” She recalls how she focused on making each doctor appointment and continuing to work. “I had to wait 1.5 months to get answers on what my treatment was going to be.”
After that stressful waiting period, Keiko was told she would undergo radiation and hormone treatments, but not chemotherapy. She elected to not tell her clients what was going on, especially as she was still unclear of the outcomes. “I didn’t want to worry them or have them caregive me as the result, “ she shared. Keiko also recognized some survivor’s guilt in her experience. “I didn’t go through the same process (chemo) as them, I can’t be glad in front of them.”
What helped Keiko most was doing her own therapy work with an oncology psychotherapist. “Cancer is weird, it was nice to work with someone who understands it.” She was grateful to connect with peers and cancer survivors as well, who continue to give her hope for her future. Keiko has spent time reflecting on her priorities. “I want to see my children graduate, get married, and live happy lives.” So she evaluated her next steps and decided to pursue a doctorate in social work. “We think cancer equals death, and that’s not true.” Keiko is hopeful that her story will inspire others to fight cancer and pursue their passions. “It’s almost like having cancer can make us think, ‘let’s do this,’ giving us permission to do the things we want to do.”
Things happen to us as humans, even as we support our clients as professional helpers. Do you have a story you want to share the mental health community? Email us at croswaitecounselingpllc@gmail.com to learn more about the Human in the Helper Series!