Joan Lunden Q&A at the SoutheastHEALTH Journey Gala

Award-winning journalist, bestselling author, motivational speaker and advocate for women’s health and wellness Joan Lunden took a few minutes before Saturday’s SoutheastHEALTH Journey Gala to talk with the Southeast Missourian. The gala benefits the SoutheastHEALTH Cancer Care fund, among other projects related to cancer patients’ care.

Q: What advice would you give to people undergoing cancer treatment?

A: Don’t do it alone. The breast-cancer community is not a sorority you want to join, but it is the most caring and compassionate, strong group that I’ve ever come across, and it made me stronger. And, I don’t know, maybe it’s the natural human instinct, when you face a life-threatening illness and you come out on the other side as a survivor, to reach out your hand and help the next woman through. It’s not just me. I see it at every, every breast-cancer event that I attend. I’ve learned a lot. It taught me the depth of compassion that one can have for a complete stranger. To me, that was probably the most unbelievable thing I’ve come to understand, and it guides me today. I’m on the phone all the time with people, they’re going through it, they’re a stranger, but there’s this commonality, and you can give them hope to see you on the other side. I just think it’s important to pass it along.

Q: How did your cancer journey affect your life overall?

A: It has certainly changed the trajectory of my life. As soon as I had a cancer diagnosis, it was in the bank that I would go public with it. I really didn’t have any choice. But I didn’t understand at the time that I was making that decision with the public, how rewarding it was going to be. And yet, when you think about everything I’ve done in my life, probably what I’ve done in the last five years is what I want to be remembered for.

Q: How has the treatment process changed since your diagnosis?

A: I think we’ve turned a wonderful corner in the last few years. Where before, we always treated everyone kind of the same, the standard, that’s changed. We learned that every breast cancer is different. We’ve known that for a while, but now we’ve learned that we can test a woman upfront and find out which method, medication will work best. We don’t just have to douse every woman with an incredible amount of aggressive chemotherapy, which stays with you. Some of the chemotherapy I was given has an afterlife that will be within me for the rest of my life.

I think the medical industry has come to the understanding that you have to treat the woman, not just the cancer.

Unfortunately, all these women I’m hearing from are being diagnosed younger and younger. That’s so scary to me. What is in our world that is causing women at 23, 27, 31, 40, to be diagnosed with cancer?

The good news in all this is, if it’s caught early, women today have a better than 90% chance of surviving today. But that means we have to have the annual screening.

Q: What are some steps women can take?

A: Get annual screenings, starting early. And find out if you have dense breasts. An expert I interviewed told me to ask my radiology lab if I have dense breast tissue, because it shows up white on a mammogram, same as a tumor. If you have dense breasts, finding a tumor is like trying to find a picture of a snowball in a snowstorm. And do self-exams. If you do self exams all the time you know your normal so that something just doesn’t seem right. And if it doesn’t, don’t wait. It’s good to get it tested.

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