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074: Move Beyond Surviving | Tom Tressler | Post-Treatment | Breast Cancer | PTSD | Mastectomy
An often-overlooked phase of the cancer journey is what takes place after achieving survivorship. On this episode of the @CancerInterviews podcast, Tom Tressler tells us about the challenges of a cancer journey’s post-treatment phase, with some manifestations including PTSD. This is what led to his co-founding the support group, Move Beyond Surviving.
Tom says the concept of Move Beyond Surviving began in 2017 with a breast surgical oncologist in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, Dr. Kelly McLean. Like Tom, Dr. McLean is very outdoorsy and she came to realize there is a substantial benefit of getting out into nature for people in general, but especially for cancer patients, during treatment and after treatment. Dr. McLean especially noticed this with some her patients. She noticed many of them, after treatment, were just existing and not thriving. When she took some of these patients hiking and backpacking, she saw the results with the patients were life-changing. Dr. McLean was told by some that what she was doing could be converted into a nonprofit, but realized that as a surgeon, she didn’t have the time to get such a venture off the ground, and run it. That’s when she connected with Tom Tressler.
Tom had no history with cancer. He thought that once one diagnosed with breast cancer completed a mastectomy that in short order, their life went back to normal. Tom quickly learned that, for many cancer patients, that is not the case.
Tom Tressler found out that many treated for cancer, upon survivorship, feel betrayed by their own body. They hold their breath, they look over their shoulder, spending almost all their time in fear of the cancer returning. Tom said that many clinicians feel that what these patients experienced is much like PTSD, or in some instances, it is in fact, PTSD.
Tom says that when gets into nature and engages in exercise, one reconnects with their body and soul, a move that can lower cholesterol.
Move Beyond Surviving connects with people in the Cincinnati area, but its message is available to a global audience on its website.
Additional Resources:
Move Beyond Survivng: https://www.movebeyondsurviving.org
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By Jim Foster
5
22 ratings
An often-overlooked phase of the cancer journey is what takes place after achieving survivorship. On this episode of the @CancerInterviews podcast, Tom Tressler tells us about the challenges of a cancer journey’s post-treatment phase, with some manifestations including PTSD. This is what led to his co-founding the support group, Move Beyond Surviving.
Tom says the concept of Move Beyond Surviving began in 2017 with a breast surgical oncologist in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, Dr. Kelly McLean. Like Tom, Dr. McLean is very outdoorsy and she came to realize there is a substantial benefit of getting out into nature for people in general, but especially for cancer patients, during treatment and after treatment. Dr. McLean especially noticed this with some her patients. She noticed many of them, after treatment, were just existing and not thriving. When she took some of these patients hiking and backpacking, she saw the results with the patients were life-changing. Dr. McLean was told by some that what she was doing could be converted into a nonprofit, but realized that as a surgeon, she didn’t have the time to get such a venture off the ground, and run it. That’s when she connected with Tom Tressler.
Tom had no history with cancer. He thought that once one diagnosed with breast cancer completed a mastectomy that in short order, their life went back to normal. Tom quickly learned that, for many cancer patients, that is not the case.
Tom Tressler found out that many treated for cancer, upon survivorship, feel betrayed by their own body. They hold their breath, they look over their shoulder, spending almost all their time in fear of the cancer returning. Tom said that many clinicians feel that what these patients experienced is much like PTSD, or in some instances, it is in fact, PTSD.
Tom says that when gets into nature and engages in exercise, one reconnects with their body and soul, a move that can lower cholesterol.
Move Beyond Surviving connects with people in the Cincinnati area, but its message is available to a global audience on its website.
Additional Resources:
Move Beyond Survivng: https://www.movebeyondsurviving.org