Nicole Kirkanoff: Hi. My name is Nicole Kirkanoff, and I am a breast cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma stage IA in December of 2021.
Graphic: Have you made lifestyle changes since receiving your diagnosis?
Nicole Kirkanoff: Absolutely, I’ve made lifestyle changes. I’ve ended up having to focus on myself. The biggest thing is, after the treatment, you’re not made aware of all of the side effects. So that definitely guides you into changing and shifting a lot of things in your life, such as your eating habits, making sure you’re working out, and making sure you’re getting walks in.
I focus on self-care a lot more after my diagnosis, as well as after my treatment, mainly because my body is so different now. You have different pains and aches. Also, just for your mental health, you have to focus on that. So I’ve done different things, such as exercise, eating, meditation, yoga, and things of that nature. Taking walks is amazing as well.
Graphic: How do you take care of your mental health?
Nicole Kirkanoff: With my mental health, just taking more time to be focused, and I’m not sure, but most people might think it’s being alone. For me, it helps me to calm my mind. With cancer, the diagnosis, treatment, and moving into survivorship, there’s a lot that runs through your brain, particularly if the cancer will return. So mentally what I do is pause. Sometimes I sit in a dark room, take a walk, and go to a park, or music and dancing it out can also help a lot.
Graphic: Does your caregiver support and/or participate in any changes you’ve made since your diagnosis?
Nicole Kirkanoff: Yes. And my husband now has become a dancer (laughs) and likes the crazy music I like. But I think that a big part of what helps with your survivorship, and transitioning into the next journey is that your caregivers, your friends, and your family do the best they can. But as long as you open up and include them in what you need from them, such as “Hey. Sometimes I need some silence,” “I just need someone to listen to me,” “Hey, come dance it out with me,” or “I want some ice cream today. Come have some ice cream.” The little, little things like that, just shifting and changing that, and being supportive of that, even if it’s your eating habits, health habits, or making sure you’re staying busy, things of that nature, and listening to you. So yes, my caregivers have been phenomenal in that.
Graphic: Has your definition of yourself changed since your diagnosis?
Nicole Kirkanoff: Absolutely. One thing that I continued to do was try to find the ‘Nicole Before.’ She’s not there anymore, and I had to – that was the first thing, the acceptance of that. Nicole is no longer the Nicole she was before the diagnosis. So I’ve definitely found the ‘Nicole 2.0,’ if you will, and now, it’s just a different portion of my life. Of course, it was unexpected, and it was not what I wanted. But it’s here, we are living with it, we’re figuring it out, and I’m learning how to love this ‘New Nicole’ now.
Graphic: What would you say to someone receiving a cancer diagnosis today about strategies for continuing to live a happy life?
Nicole Kirkanoff: I would say, sit in your diagnosis first. Because it’s a lot, and even when getting diagnosed, you’re going to be having a lot of things happening – doctor’s appointments – it’s going to be a lot. Always know to say, stop. Stop to the noise. Stop to the doctors. Stop to the people who are talking.
You need a break. Take that break for yourself. Another thing is that you don’t have to say yes to everything. There’s so much research and opportunity out there. Make sure you’re looking and hearing everything and make the right decisions for you. If you need time to figure out or understand what those decisions are, or what that means in layman’s terms for me, something medical.
Ask those questions. Do not feel afraid to ask questions, and then make those decisions for yourself.
