Foot Soldiers
Stories From the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk
Foot Soldiers
Foreword by David W. Lounsbury, Ph.D.
An important way that cancer survivors address their dilemma is to tell their stories to others. Indeed, the utility of exchanging stories has been shown to benefit both the storyteller and their audience. In an important study, psychosocial researchers Yaskowich and Stam (1) used the narrative accounts of cancer patients' illnesses to derive a framework for exploring how cancer patients adjust and adapt. Through the stories of patients, the researchers found that a cancer diagnosis often comes with disrupted feelings of fit, which precipitates a renegotiation of personal identity and sense of purpose. Their qualitative data went on to show that the feelings of psychological "disconnect" resulting from bodily changes and other cancer-related events can be successfully mitigated through self-reflection and "biographical work." These efforts often bring forth a new and empowered sense of self. As for the audience, they note that "narratives become narrative only insofar as we find that they are our stories, too."
So it is with the stories in Foot Soldiers: Stories from the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk. Author and breast cancer survivor, Deborah Douglas, M.D., gathered narratives while walking in all 10 of the 2004 Susan G. Komen/National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer 3-Day events. In each chapter of Foot Soldiers, we are introduced to new people and hear their stories. Time and again, we recognize our own fears, frustrations, concerns, and reactions in their voices. We also come to understand that the particular way in which a person deals with cancer is shaped by personal history, roles in family and work, stage in life, and the particulars of the medical diagnosis itself.
Advances in science, technology, and medicine have greatly improved cancer detection and treatment. The growing numbers of cancer survivors in the United States—now over 10 million—reflect this progress. Despite these advances, we are just now beginning to critically evaluate quality of life after cancer. The National Cancer Institute's Office of Cancer Survivorship and cancer centers like Memorial Sloan-Kettering, Dana-Farber, and M.D. Anderson, to name just a few, are actively pursuing clinical research to better understand the needs of new and long-term survivors. These needs are crisply articulated in the voices of the contributors to Foot Soldiers. Indeed, their narratives—narratives which emerged from brief, intense, and virtually random acquaintances with the author—provide valuable insight into the ways in which an individual's cancer experience is shaped by personal circumstances.
David W. Lounsbury, Ph.D.
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
New York, New York
(1) Kyla M. Yaskowich and Henderikus J. Stam, "Cancer Narratives and the Cancer Support Group", Journal of Health Psychology, Vol. 8, No. 6, 720-737 (2003).