I never had the opportunity to meet Dr Uzma Yunus, but I feel like I know her. I believe what made her writing so popular with her readers was her ability to communicate with such candor and intimacy that you immediately feel like part of her inner circle.
Dr Yunus was a psychiatrist and mother diagnosed with stage III breast cancer at age 41. In her book, Left Boob Gone Rogue (based on her blog writings under the same title), she takes us along on her journey from busy working physician-mom who worries about how missing a week of clinic time will impact her patients to her diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer and its impact on her as a mother, wife, and daughter.
As a breast surgeon, I usually steer clear of cancer-survivor stories. They are often full of medical misinformation and are usually so specific to the individual’s experience, the intended message doesn’t apply well to a broad readership. In this case, Dr Yunus is a physician and accurately conveys details of the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Additionally, she is a psychiatrist. She has in her toolkit the ability to translate emotion into language in a way few could.
What I find most revealing about her book is how her writing and her priorities change from the start with stage III disease to later stage IV. Earlier in the book, much of her concern is about how to get through treatment as a busy working mom and how to lessen the impact on her patients. Later in her journey, with a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer, her focus shifts to her family and thoughts about her own mortality. At the same time, her writing becomes more poetic and emotional. The change in focus and in tone lends to the feeling of traveling with her through this experience and seeing (a bit of) how she is changed.
Left Boob Gone Rogue is a short read, medically accurate, and beautifully written. I recommend it for anyone who has battled a life threatening diagnosis. Dr Yunus’ skills as a psychiatrist and writer allow her a clarity of insight and the ability to put into words some of the emotional battles she faced. I highly recommend this read for co-survivors and healthcare providers as it may offer some insight into the mindset of your family member or patient. I would caution women with new breast cancer diagnoses to keep in mind that most women have a much better prognosis than Dr. Yunus did at any point in the book.
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