![\"Teresa](\"http:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/stories\/files\/2010\/05\/living_teresakao2.jpg\" "\\"Teresa")
When you meet Teresa Kao today you could never imagine her as a woman who at one time had been defeated by cancer \u2014 anxious, depressed and fearful. She is a joyful woman, filled with light, living in the moment and appreciating what every day brings. But when Teresa was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2004, her life was turned upside down. Complicating her ability to cope with her diagnosis and treatment were the dramatic, unexpected deaths of both her mother and brother.<\/p>\n
Teresa was born in China, grew up in Taiwan and came to the United States in 1971 to attend graduate school. She, her husband and their two children settled in Voorhees, NJ in 1987. Her parents who moved to the U.S. in 1982 moved to China in 2001, but her brother lived nearby in Cherry Hill. Teresa was happy with her life. She had a career in computer programming, enjoyed singing with her choir and went to the gym almost daily.<\/p>\n
In December of 2004, Teresa went for her regular screening mammogram. The results showed a small suspicious mass in her breast. After a biopsy confirmed that the mass was cancerous, Teresa saw a local surgeon who recommended a lumpectomy. But before proceeding with the surgery, Teresa consulted with Generosa Grana, MD<\/a>, Director of Cooper Cancer Institute and the Janet Knowles Breast Cancer Center<\/a>. Dr. Grana advised Teresa to undergo chemotherapy before surgery.<\/p>\n Not wanting to waste time, Teresa started chemo in January 2005. Still in good spirits, worried but determined, Teresa was moving forward. Then the next blow hit \u2014 right after her first chemo treatment, Teresa received word that her mother had died in China.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t even know she was sick until the day before she died,\u201d says Teresa. \u201cShe kept her illness hidden from me. Whenever I called, someone would give me an excuse why my mother wasn\u2019t available. It didn\u2019t occur to me that she would be sick and unable or unwilling to talk to me about it. She finally called me the day before she died to tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n Teresa\u2019s brother and his wife helped Teresa and her husband during her chemotherapy \u2014 visiting, helping with errands, cooking meals, anything theyneeded. Suddenly in April, her brother became ill and within weeks he passed away just before Teresa\u2019s last chemotherapy treatment.<\/p>\n Teresa continued treatment as planned with surgery followed by radiation therapy five days a week for seven weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cI was a mess. Between chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, grief and the anxiety medications, I felt like I was in a haze,\u201d says Teresa. \u201cIt was obvious to Dr. Grana that I wasn\u2019t doing well. She told me that many people have more problems after treatment than during treatment and she recommended that I attend a Live, Lunch and Learn session after one of Live, Lunch and Learn sessions are one of the many education and wellness programs held for cancer patients and their caregivers through The Dr. Diane Barton Complementary Medicine Program of Cooper Cancer Institute (CCI)<\/a>.<\/p>\n I was fortunate that the Program was there to help me when I really needed help and support,\u201d says Teresa. \u201cAt the program, I learned not only from the instructors but also from the other survivors. Their courage and strength were inspirations for me. And that\u2019s when things started to turn around for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nmy appointments.\u201d<\/p>\n