Wow! eBook
My Mother's Breast: Daughters Face Their Mother's Cancer
Author(s): Laurie Tarkan (Author)
- Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing
- Publication Date: 1 April 1999
- Language: English
- Print length: 240 pages
- ISBN-10: 0878332278
- ISBN-13: 9780878332274
Book Description
My Mother’s Breast focuses on the unique psychological needs of women who must deal with the pain and devastation of their mother’s illness while repressing their fears for their own health. By sharing stories of strength and courage, this book provides long-overdue support for the loved ones of breast cancer patients.
Editorial Reviews
From the Author
Daughters share their feelings about their mothers’ cancer
At times I have felt that it was not my mother’s illness and death that had the greatest impact on my life, affecting my relationships with people and my sense of security in the world, but rather the silence around that illness. Many daughters of women with breast cancer face the same silence. Dealing with a mother’s potentially life-threatening illness can be traumatic and life-altering, yet often daugthers deal with it alone. Many have no one to turn to with their fears and anguish, and they even feel selfish worrying about themselves in the face of their mother’s illness. Though they are not patients themselves, they struggle through the illness in their own way. Daughters not only have to deal with the fear of losing their mother, with seeing their mother cope with chemotherapy or radiation treatments, but they have to face their own increased risk of breast cancer. When I began speaking with daughters about their experiences, I realized that the issues were profound, layered over the already complex mother daughter relationship. I realized that most daughters wished they had a support group so that they could talk about their unique problems with other daughters who understood. For many, I was the first person who asked them how they handled their mother’s cancer and the first person they were able to share their feelings with.
At times I have felt that it was not my mother’s illness and death that had the greatest impact on my life, affecting my relationships with people and my sense of security in the world, but rather the silence around that illness. Many daughters of women with breast cancer face the same silence. Dealing with a mother’s potentially life-threatening illness can be traumatic and life-altering, yet often daugthers deal with it alone. Many have no one to turn to with their fears and anguish, and they even feel selfish worrying about themselves in the face of their mother’s illness. Though they are not patients themselves, they struggle through the illness in their own way. Daughters not only have to deal with the fear of losing their mother, with seeing their mother cope with chemotherapy or radiation treatments, but they have to face their own increased risk of breast cancer. When I began speaking with daughters about their experiences, I realized that the issues were profound, layered over the already complex mother daughter relationship. I realized that most daughters wished they had a support group so that they could talk about their unique problems with other daughters who understood. For many, I was the first person who asked them how they handled their mother’s cancer and the first person they were able to share their feelings with.
My Mother’s Breast provides a venue for women to talk about what they are going through, and it provides readers with insights into their own conflicted feelings. I hope that this book will open up a dialogue about daughters and ease some of their anxieties and concerns.
