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The Chaos of Cancer – Podcast Interview with Katherine Marie Calming the Chaos welcomes Katherine Marie, Speaker and Cancer Coach. Katherine tells her story about the chaos of having breast cancer. As October is breast cancer awareness month, Katherine shares her story about being a breast cancer survivor and Cancer Coach who speaks out about a variety of aspects of having cancer: from pre-diagnosis, treatment and beyond. If you’ve ever received a cancer diagnosis, you can benefit from hearing Katherine’s story! Introduction to Katherine:  Who are you now? Mom to boy/girl twins who were born prematurely, and both have special needs. Cancer coach, working individually with people to provide emotional comfort or resources as they navigate cancer.   A speaker with topics such as moving from fear to action and creating an environment that is supportive of employees through wellness programs and a sense of community. Katherine is also in the beginning stages of writing a book. An overview of Chaos: “A state of disorganization, confusion, resulting from anything in our environment that throws us off balance, overwhelms or confuses us. Katherine's Story of Cancer Chaos                                                                Pre-diagnosis - Chaos begins before a diagnosis when “an area of concern” was identified by the Radiologist, and Katherine was told she needed to go in for more testing Skills used to calm her chaos: 1.      Going into “Function Mode” 2.      Asking her friend (who had cancer) for resources 3.      Beginning to think about humor 4.      Changing her mindset about double mastectomy from a tragic loss to a “clean slate,” where she can reconstruct whatever she wanted.                                                        Cancer Diagnosis  - Receiving the cancer diagnosis over the phone, from a stranger. Skills used to calm her chaos: 1.      Gathering information 2.      Setting up and attending appointments 3.      Laser focused on taking care of her family and getting well                                                        Cancer Treatment – Surgery, followed by 5 months of chemo, 6 weeks radiation. Lessons Learned: 1.      Humor is important 2.      Ask for and accept help from others 3.      Learn to lower your expectations of what will get done 4.      Care Calendar: http://www.carecalendar.org/ (www.carecalendar.org) Cancer Post-Treatment - Delayed reconstruction. 2016 I was moving forward physically, but not emotionally, until I read something by another cancer patient that made her realize she had to live NOW. At the same time, she was friends with someone dying from the same disease, living a healthy life. Lessons Learned: 1.      Honor the mourning process 2.      Offer to help