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Abstract
The author, Susan Nesbit, was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2000, and hearing the words, “Your mammography and clinical breast exam suggest that you may have cancer,” started her on a journey through the wilderness. Her wilderness included diagnostic and staging procedures and a treatment protocol of chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and more chemotherapy. Nesbit guided herself through the wilderness using several skills and foundations of occupational therapy. She used advocacy with good communication skills, prevention of potential problems, values clarification, spirituality, psychological strategies, support with empathy, teaching, and cognitive strategies. Several contextsthe cultural (e.g., valuing her new body without breasts and using mind-body techniques for healing), the physical (e.g., taking attachment objects to the hospital in a special box), the social (e.g., relating to friends, colleagues, and physicians), and the spiritual (e.g., participating in ceremonies)-influenced her occupational performance during her journey.
