"Oh, I cry every day."(KIM HEIER)A gush of emotion, tears, even regret is breast cancer's most common side effect—whether you're facing your fears or taking a step toward feeling better.
Upbeat by day
Could things have been worse for Kim Heier? In 2007, the 41-year-old from Simi Valley, Calif., was going through a divorce, raising three kids and trying to get back into the work force. Then came the lump and the diagnosis: DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ).
More about coping
Yet as Heier watched her 10-year-old son at soccer practice just a few months later, she joked about her impending radiation—"We're gonna zap all those buggers right out"—and an observer had to wonder if she were some sort of Bionic Woman. How could someone in her situation be this upbeat?
"Oh, I cry every day," she said. "Oh yeah. Every day. I mean, I have an amazing support network of family and friends. I have to get out of bed every day because of the kids. They don't allow me to wallow in misery. But it's usually after everyone's asleep and I'm alone in my room that I just sob for 15 minutes."
Next Page: "What have I just done to myself?" [ pagebreak ]
hendy-dayton —or at least acknowledging to yourself or someone else how awful you feel.