When Amanda Van de Riet of Whispering Pines was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer on Sept. 6, 2023—her mother’s birthday and just a year after losing her mom to ovarian cancer—her world shifted. At 50 years old, married and with a 25-year-old son, Van de Riet underwent surgery, radiation and began a medication regimen to help prevent recurrence. Like many survivors, she found herself asking, “What’s next?”
“I was consumed with fear and felt out of control,” Van de Riet shared. “Treatment was over, but I didn’t know how to move forward.”
That next step came at FirstHealth’s annual Cancer Survivors Day, where Van de Riet first learned about the FirstHealth Cancer Center’s Integrative Oncology and Survivorship Program, a service that offers evidence-informed integrative therapies to support patients’ cancer treatment and journey. During the event, Chasse Bailey-Dorton, M.D., director of FirstHealth’s integrative oncology program and a cancer survivor herself, shared details about the program and its offering of a Survivorship School that is a five-week group course designed for people with a history of cancer. The course helps participants focus on mind-body medicine, self-care techniques and ways to reduce lingering symptoms from treatment while regaining a sense of control and well-being.
“Surprisingly, the end of cancer treatment can be just as stressful as the cancer diagnosis,” shared Bailey-Dorton. “It is a combination of fear of cancer recurrence, emotional recovery from treatment and dealing with lingering side effects that can be overwhelming. Survivorship School was started to help our survivors regain a sense of control and well-being.”
That perspective resonated with Van de Riet. “It meant so much hearing from someone who truly understands what it feels like,” she said.
Each week of the Survivorship School includes a guided exercise or reflection meant to meet participants exactly where they are in their survivorship journey. These activities are not about performance or pressure. They are simple tools that help people process what they’ve been through in a safe, supportive environment.
For Van de Riet, one of the most powerful exercises involved writing the word cancer on paper. “It was the first time I had written it since being diagnosed,” she recalled. She was then asked to write the first word that came to mind, and hers was fear. But in that same moment, she realized that hope can live alongside fear. “That was a pivotal moment for me.”
Another exercise involved writing a letter to cancer. While it may sound daunting, the activity encouraged participants to explore the emotions—both difficult and even surprising positive ones—that cancer brought into their lives. Reading those letters aloud helped Van de Riet to acknowledge feelings she held tightly inside.
“I bottled up so many of those emotions because I wanted to stay positive for my family and friends,” she said. “This exercise helped me face those feelings and let some of them go.”
Other exercises focused on sharing positive survivor stories, setting goals and practicing techniques to reduce stress and tension. The group format makes it clear that no one is alone in their fears or hopes. “It was comforting to hear others put words to what I was feeling,” Van de Riet said.
From the program, Van de Riet carried home an important lesson: set goals and don’t be afraid to plan and live. One of her goals is a commitment to focusing on aspects of her health and well-being that she can control like stress management, healthy eating and exercising more. She joined the Cancer Wellness Program at the FirstHealth Cancer Center, discovering the fitness center there.
“Before, my visits to the Cancer Center were something I had to do. Now, I go there by choice, on my own terms,” Van de Riet said.
Through faith, family and friends, and what she calls “God moments”—signs of hope and meaning along her journey— Van de Riet has moved from a place of fear to one of growth.
Though she admits she still gets anxious talking about her journey, Van de Riet shares her story with courage. “If sharing my experience helps even one person learn more about the resources available to help them along their journey, then it’s worth it,” she said
For Van de Riet, the Survivorship School at FirstHealth’s Cancer Center was more than a class—it was a lifeline. It gave her tools to manage stress, a community of understanding, and most importantly, the reminder that life after cancer can be filled with strength, healing, and hope.
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Article and photo contributed by FirstHealth of the Carolinas.
