Body Positivity After Cancer
- Breast cancer put Miranda McKeon through the wringer. Now that she's in remission, the 20-year-old actress is reflecting on how she "lost my body to science."
- McKeon was diagnosed with breast cancer in June of last year at 19 years old. She went through eight rounds of chemotherapy, three surgeries and most recently, 25 rounds of radiation. But the treatment paid off because she was deemed cancer-free on Feb. 25.
- Having surgery that leaves a scar might be a necessary course of action. But it is important to remember that many of the physical changes caused by cancer treatment are only temporary even scars fade over time.
McKeon was diagnosed with breast cancer in June of last year at just 19 years old. (The stage and type of her disease were never made public.) She went through eight rounds of chemotherapy, three surgeries and most recently, 25 rounds of radiation. But the grueling treatment paid off because she was deemed cancer-free on Feb. 25.
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"For months my body did not belong to me," she wrote. "I yieldingly shared it with something greater. I outstretched my limbs and watched as my forearms turned to pin cushions surfaces of flesh ripe for needle sticks."
"When I look at my hair, I do not see the inch of gain but rather the ten of loss," she continued. "The hair which sits at the bottom of drains, and garbage bags and lakes from the summer."
While going through treatment, McKeon, a sophomore at the University of Southern California said she "saw my body as something that needed to be cured." To her, her body was "an unsettling composition of veins and vessels and complex systems working against me; a ticking time bomb if not surrendered to science."
An Overview of Breast Cancer Treatment
"Now that it's mine again, I work to treat it with respect and kindness," she wrote. "This also means taking care of the spirit housed within it the one who lives each day with a champagne glass in hand. Now I top off the bubbly without regard for the days of the week or how fast the world seems to be turning."
"I'm slowly reclaiming my body for all of the safe, functioning, goodness that it is. Because my body belongs to me and only me, and that is a shiny golden gift a privilege that I am so lucky to have."
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Body Positivity After Cancer
Struggling with body image after treatment for cancer isn’t unusual.
Having surgery that leaves a scar might be a necessary course of action. But it is important to remember that many of the physical changes caused by cancer treatment are only temporary even scars fade over time.
Marisa Gholson, a physician assistant at Compass Oncology at the Vancouver Cancer Center in Vancouver, Wa., previously told SurvivorNet that many women even begin to embrace their scars after treatment.
Marisa Gholson, a physician assistant, discusses body image after cancer treatment.
"Some ladies will call them a badge of honor, that they have gone through that surgery," Gholson said.
She also noted, however, that scars like many of the other side effects that come with ovarian, cervical or breast cancer treatment will become significantly less prominent over time.
Treatment for ovarian or cervical cancer can include the removal of a woman's reproductive organs, and breast cancer treatment, like in Miranda McKeon’s case, can include the removal of a woman’s breasts (mastectomy), which can also affect body image.
When it comes to managing these side effects, keeping your emotional health in check whether that means seeing a therapist, visiting support groups or simply learning to accept your situation becomes a crucial part of the cancer journey.
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