A Narrative Inquiry of the Difficulties by Breast Cancer Survivors in the Sports Participating

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the breast cancer survivors' difficulties in participating in sports as cancer aftercare. This study employed the case study and purposive sampling to obtain the sample from five breast cancer survivors, two surgical oncologists, and a cancer aftercare NGO specialist. This study conducted the participatory observation method and depth interviews to categorize and conceptualize based on transcribed data with selected study participants. The study was to identify the essential themes, and four medical experts addressed within and across cases. Three essential themes were revealed: financial difficulty, severe chronic condition, and social role. Firstly, breast cancer survivors suffer financial difficulty after a cancer diagnosis because of their career breaks or the absence of economic activities. This situation put survivors hard to take part in sports with high expenses or customized personal programs. Secondly, breast cancer survivors suffer experience motor disorders due to low motivation due to poor physical ability. Therefore, follow-up measures for them should be taken at the welfare level. Thirdly, breast cancer survivors continue to shoulder a disproportionate share burden of Balancing work and family obligations. Cancer survivors who are parents or family caregivers have taken on even more during the cancer treatment. They were already shouldering the majority of financial, social, and family care responsibilities. That is wholly inadequate for most cancer survivors to find enough time to work out or do sports regularly but sporadic or never for themselves and their health.