A Guide Through the Cancer Labyrinth
03.01.2023
Juanita Waugh had the best of medical care when she had breast cancer in 2005, but she had little guidance for life outside of doctors’ offices. As a result, she struggled through a nightmare of side effects, wildly shifting emotions and fear of what could happen next.
No one told her what to expect from the treatments, so skin burning and discoloration from radiation and the foggy brain after chemotherapy came without warning. Nor did anyone advise her on more practical things, like how to find a wig that would make her feel more like herself after chemotherapy caused her to lose most of her hair.
“I knew nothing about breast cancer — nothing whatsoever,” said Waugh, a retired health insurance worker who lives in Oakland, California. “When I was going through the process, I felt like I was in a dark tunnel looking for the light.”
Now, Waugh is one of a group of Black women on a steering committee for a project designed to ease treatment and recovery for Black women with breast cancer and increase their odds of survival, which are significantly lower than those for white women. The project is sponsored by Stanford Medicine and the California Breast Cancer Research Program.
About Stanford Health Care
Stanford Health Care seeks to heal humanity through science and compassion, one patient at a time, through its commitment to care, educate and discover. Stanford Health Care delivers clinical innovation across its inpatient services, specialty health centers, physician offices, virtual care offerings and health plan programs.
Stanford Health Care is part of Stanford Medicine, a leading academic health system that includes the Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Health Care, and Stanford Children’s Health, with Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. Stanford Medicine is renowned for breakthroughs in treating cancer, heart disease, brain disorders and surgical and medical conditions. For more information, visit: www.stanfordhealthcare.org.