Depression, anxiety common after breast cancer diagnosis. How these women found peace

Latoya Simmons knows what it’s like to fight an invisible enemy.

A lump led doctors in 2021 to diagnose her with triple negative breast cancer, one of the more aggressive forms of breast cancer. Doctors prescribed her chemotherapy to destroy the cancerous cells and stop them from spreading.

But cancer doesn’t just affect the body. The uncertainty and fear that comes with a cancer diagnosis can affect your mind and emotional health. Anxiety. Depression. Feeling alone. Losing control.

Developing coping skills — finding peace through, say, art, music, meditation, faith, yoga — is critical to your mental and physical state, experts say. Research has shown that women who have higher anxiety and depression often show signs of inflammation and elevated stress hormones, which can lead to poorer outcomes, said Dr. Michael Antoni, the cancer control research program lead investigator at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami school of medicine.

“Getting diagnosed with cancer is really one of the most overwhelming things that happens in the person’s life. They have to make multiple decisions, over periods of days about their treatment, about dealing with the side effects, dealing with their role as a mom, or as a partner,” said Antoni. “And so they’re juggling all these things, as they’re learning that they’ve got a life-threatening condition, potentially. It’s not a surprise that over half of them may be overwhelmed and need some kind of tools to help them get through the journey.”

‘Chemo touched my body, it never touched my soul’

Whenever Latoya Simmons would go to the Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health for chemotherapy, she would tell herself it’s “time for war.” A pink boxer robe, along with her faith, served as her armor.

“You have to make up in your mind that you’re gonna fight no matter what … Even though the chemo touched my body, it never touched my soul,” said Simmons. “And no matter how sick I was, my soul stayed intact. My faith stayed intact.”

Sometimes, she would request for musicians to play Disney classics such as “Hakuna Matata” and “A Whole New World” during her treatment. Other times, she would paint.

“When I’m painting, it’s like going into another dimension …I know that I’m physically here, but it’s like opening up a book and being in a fairy tale,” said Simmons.

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The 42-year-old is one of many cancer patients who have utilized the Institute’s philanthropic-funded Arts in Medicine program, which helps cancer patients manage their stress using visual, literary and performing arts.

“There is definitely something that is really profound about being able to see those changes in body language or mood. Just the other day, I had someone tell me ‘You made me smile’ and that really does help fuel our work here and keep us inspired,” said Robyn Savitzky, a viola performer and artist in residence in the program. The institute also has musicians who sing and play violin, guitar, and piano, as well as three visual artists and one literary artist.

The Cancer Patient Support Center at Miami Cancer Institute also helps survivors develop a healthy diet and offers a variety of other resources, including virtual mind and body exercise classes, such as yoga and tai chi to help reduce anxiety, fatigue and depression. Baptist Health South Florida is planning to soon offer music therapy too.

Music therapy helps manage a variety of conditions, including cancer, anxiety, mood disorders, dementia and autism. At Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami Beach, music therapy helps support breast cancer patients during treatment, lifts their mood, gives them a medium for self-expression and helps reduce stress, according to Maria Hernandez, the hospital’s music therapy program coordinator. The therapy is individualized to the patient.

A journey to find yourself again

Isabel Toca has found herself again.

The 59-year-old breast cancer survivor is now helping a psychologist who specializes in patients with traumatic brain injuries. She wants to kayak. And she took her first Uber to watch Lizzo perform live.

“I’m doing stuff that I would have never done,” said Toca.

Toca was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021. An abnormality in her right breast led doctors to find cancer in her left.

But she was lucky. Her cancer — HR-Positive/HER2-Negative breast cancer — was detected early. After 15 radiation therapies and two lumpectomies, her cancer is gone. Doctors say she has less than a 5% chance of recurrence. She’s taking an oral medication, which she calls a “bomb” due to its many side effects, such as “brain fog.”

She found peace through an online support group run by Sylvester.

The group, Videoconferenced Stress Management and Relaxation Training for Older Women With Breast Cancer or VSMART, is a telehealth trial funded by the Florida Department of Health to teach breast cancer survivors how to cope with stress.

Survivors were taught techniques during the weekly online sessions to help with anger and stress management, including meditation. Toca converted a part of her garage into her own space — a place she can escape to for “Tea Time,” a moment to drink tea, read a book and relax on the couch.

Antoni, the UM doctor, said previous randomized trials have found that these cognitive behavioral techniques led to less anxiety and depression in the first year of treatment, with better sleep, less fatigue, an improved immune response, a decrease in inflammation and a longer overall survival, with lower odds of recurrence.

Researchers believe fully online support programs, such as VSMART, which began in 2016, can offer the same benefit.

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Yoga to help relieve stress

At Memorial Healthcare System, the public health network for southern Broward County, a new $125 million building will open in November to expand patient care and provide a “sanctuary” for yoga and meditation as part of its integrative medicine offerings, according to Dr. Ashwin Mehta, who leads Memorial Cancer Institute’s Integrative Cancer Survivorship Program.

He recently co-authored a new set of national guidelines, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, that recommend cancer patients use evidence-based, mind-body techniques such as yoga, hypnosis, acupuncture and music therapy to reduce anxiety and depression during cancer treatment.

“Integrative medicine at its very essence is drawing upon the wisdom of ancient healing traditions from all over the world and using that in a very science-based and evidence-informed way in order to improve patient care,” said Mehta. “What we find is that one of the most important aspects of these ancient healing traditions is that the human body is actually designed to heal in a collective, in a community, in a tribe. We aren’t really designed to heal as individuals.”

For Marlen Meade, 64, Memorial’s weekly yoga class for cancer survivors has enabled her to cope with stress. Meade noticed a lump in her breast during the COVID-19 pandemic, but like many, initially avoided going to the doctor over worries she would get COVID and bring it home to her parents. She finally made an appointment in January 2022, and was eventually diagnosed with breast cancer. Meade, who has no family history of breast cancer, was shocked.

Thankfully, her cancer was detected early and in May 2022 she underwent a mastectomy. In September, she had implants put in.

“Many times, you don’t realize how stressed you are, especially from all these new things that you have to deal with, with cancer — lots of doctor appointments, challenging news that you get. So, having an outlet that you relieve stress is one of the things I find a lot through yoga,” said Meade.

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Finding support with other pregnant women

A week after being diagnosed with one of the most aggressive types of breast cancer in 2020, Jonise Louis learned she was pregnant with her second child.

And the fear set in: Could she keep her baby and undergo cancer treatment?

Her doctor reassured her treatment options existed for pregnant women, and in her first trimester, Louis began chemotherapy for de novo metastatic breast cancer, which had also spread to her liver.

Louis turned to her family and faith for support. She tried therapy, too. And then she found Hope for Two, a New York-based organization dedicated to help pregnant women diagnosed with cancer. It was her “guiding light,” she said. The organization connected her with a support buddy — a woman who also experienced a similar cancer diagnosis during pregnancy — and a doctor who discussed best practices with her medical team.

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“What I found was that making connections, even if it’s a stranger from online who had been through the same thing, those connections weighed a lot to me because those are the connections that I could really lean on to help me in those times where I felt really, really down,” said Louis.

Later, she connected with BRCAStrong, a South Florida nonprofit that helps women diagnosed with breast cancer and gynecological cancers. In August, the 38-year-old mother took part in the nonprofit’s “Dear Body” project for its 2024 calendar.

For Louis, who had recently undergone breast reconstruction surgery and was struggling with her self-image after seeing her body change from pregnancy and several surgeries, including a double mastectomy, the photo shoot helped her feel comfortable in her own skin.

While Louis will be in treatment for the rest of her life (she’s on oral medication), she’s not letting fear of the unknown stop her. She’s enjoying life with her husband and sons Giovanni, 2, and Brayden, 4, and giving back.

“I’m finding every opportunity that I get to mentor someone else who is going through the same journey, just pouring out into them the same way that others have poured into me,” said Louis.

Breast cancer walks

There are many breast cancer awareness fundraisers and events happening in South Florida in October. Here are some:

MORE THAN PINK Walk, Susan G. Komen’s annual fundraising event honoring breast cancer survivors.

When: Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Registration opens at 7 a.m., opening ceremony is at 8:30 a.m. and the walk begins at 9 a.m.

Where: Amelia Earhart Park, 401 E 65th St. in Hialeah

Visit komen.org to register, donate or learn more.

Second annual Hadassah Walks for Breast Cancer Awareness

When: Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023. Registrations opens at 8 a.m. Walk begins at 9 a.m.

Where: Hadassah Greater Miami’s walk will be held at the Aventura Branch library, 2930 Aventura Blvd. Hadassah Florida’s Broward walk will be held at Central Park, 9151 NW Second St. in Plantation.

To register and learn more, visit events.hadassah.org/GMRBCWalk23 for Miami and events.hadassah.org/FLBBCWalk2023 for Broward.

American Cancer Society’s Making Strides of Miami-Dade walk presented by Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center

When: Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023.Check-in is at 7 a.m., opening ceremony is at 8 a.m. and the walk starts at 9 a.m.

Where: LoanDepot Park, 501 NW 16th Ave, in Miami.

To register and learn more, visit https://secure.acsevents.org/site/STR?pg=entry&fr_id=105589

American Cancer Society’s Making Strides of Broward walk presented by Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood

When: Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. Check-in opens at 7:30 a.m., opening ceremony starts at 8 a.m. and walk begins at 9 a.m.

Where: Amerant Bank Arena (formerly known as the FLA LIVE Arena), 1 Panther Pkwy in Sunrise.

To register and learn more, visit https://secure.acsevents.org/site/STR?pg=entry&fr_id=105695

American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of the Florida Keys

When: Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Gates open at 7:30 a.m.

Where: Crane Point, 5550 Overseas Hwy, Marathon

To register and learn more, visit https://secure.acsevents.org/site/STR?pg=entry&fr_id=105780