LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – A Nebraska native has made it her mission to shed light on mental health concerns in relation to cancer diagnoses, even writing three books about her experiences.
Diane Simard was diagnosed with Stage 3c breast cancer in 2015. She says doctors tried everything they could to try and get rid of it, including chemo, which she says took a toll on her mental health.
As she puts it, she’s had a front row seat to what she calls a lack of support for people going through both.
It’s estimated that up to one third of cancer patients experience some form of mental health struggle, such as depression and anxiety, according to the National Institute of Health.
When she asked her oncologist if she knew of any therapists that specialized in cancer-related mental health concerns, the doctor told her she didn’t know of any.
This sparked Simard to take action.
“I was very just kind of flabbergasted and frustrated honestly about the lack of attention that was being paid to how this impacts you psychologically and emotionally,” Simard said.
As a result, she helped co-create a course at the University of Denver for students that want to have education on the mental health side of cancer.
She said so far 300 graduate-level students have taken at least one of the four specialty classes.
“I believe it’s extremely important to have access to resources, to therapists, to those who understand the specifics, the unique natures of someone who’s going through a cancer experience,” Simard said.
Along with this course, she also published her first multi award-winning book in 2019, “The Unlikely Gift of Breast Cancer,” which was named one of the best breast cancer books of all time by Book Authority.
After releasing her second book, “Heal Forward” in 2023, Simard recently published her third book, “Unlikely Gifts Unwrapped” on May 6 and is currently traveling across the country promoting it.
To learn more about Simard and her journey, check out her website.
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