5 Lessons Breast Cancer Doesn’t Teach - and One It Does

Lesson One: Denial Is Your Best Friend

Denial is a great coping technique when you’ve just learned you have breast cancer. Embrace it. Make it work for you. Do not give it nights or weekends off. Denial helps you adjust to the harsh reality without being totally overwhelmed by it. When I got the news, I told myself, “This won’t be so bad. I’ll just have cancer for 20 minutes.” Later I learned that while it was true I had cancer very briefly, the treatment to make sure it didn’t come back was going to mess up the better part of a year. But who wanted to think about that? One small crisis at a time, telling yourself it’s nothing you can’t handle, really helps.

Where I Really Learned This Lesson:

I’ve spent much of my career creating new programs for TV, radio, and the internet. I know from experience that the odds are usually against launching the next huge hit, but I also know that if you can remain in denial about all the obstacles in your way, you have a lot more fun and you probably improve your chances of success.