Dealing with Negative People During Breast Cancer [Podcast Ep. 19]

When facing breast cancer, you need support–not more negativity. So what do you do when you’re dealing with negative people during breast cancer? Negativity is an unfortunate fact of life when you’re going through treatment for any illness. Cancer support groups often focus on the positive, such as the benefits of people supporting one another and growing closer to your family. However, pretending the negative doesn’t exist won’t fix anything for anyone.

In this episode, Casey sits down with breast cancer survivor Kelly Nemecek to discuss how she creatively created the positive support she needed–including becoming an admin of a Facebook support group called Breast Cancer Sisters. Now over ten thousand members strong, the Breast Cancer Sisters community is one of the largest–if not the largest–support groups on Facebook. It welcomes women at all stages of their cancer journey. Behind its closed doors, members will find a place where they can discuss subjects they may not feel comfortable discussing with friends and family. It seeks to be a safe place to ask questions from others who have been there.

Kelly was diagnosed in 2015, and she shares with us some of her coping strategies as well as how she discovered online support groups. She also discusses strategies to make the most of the support group you already have (aka the one living in your house) or how to find new people if you find yourself lacking in support. A fierce and positive person, Kelly also explains how she had to create what she calls her “force field against negativity” when there were people in her life being less than supportive, a harsh fact many cancer survivors have to face.

Kelly has some very real firsthand experience dealing with negative people during breast cancer. She shares stories about drama in the workplace, as well as having a disagreement with a friend who didn’t approve of chemotherapy. Kelly also shares some great examples of how to ensure that your social network is building you up rather than tearing you down.

Listen and subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher, or just click the play button below.

What We Talked About

Kelly‘s diagnosis in 2015 and how she came to find online support groups and support on Facebook
What can a woman expect as a member of Breast Cancer Sisters?
How to tackle drama in the workplace as a result of your cancer diagnosis
How to build a force field around yourself to when facing negative people during your breast cancer journey