How to Ask for Help and Accept Support After a Breast Cancer Diagnosis Dr. Allison Applebaum, Clinical Psychologist, Caregiving Scientist, and Author of Stand By Me: A Guide to Navigating Modern, Meaningful Caregiving

One of the most unexpected challenges of breast cancer is suddenly needing help with the parts of life you have always managed yourself. Treatment, surgery, and recovery can make everyday responsibilities like working, cooking, cleaning, parenting, driving, and caring for others feel overwhelming or even impossible. Yet knowing you need help and allowing yourself to receive it are two very different things. Dr. Allison Applebaum is a clinical psychologist and caregiving scientist whose work focuses on supporting family caregivers. She is Professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine and Director of the Steven S. Elbaum Family Center for Caregiving at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. In this conversation, she shares practical guidance for women who are struggling to accept support. Together, we explore where to begin, how to identify what help is actually needed, what to delegate, who to ask, and how to communicate those needs clearly. We also discuss how to navigate guilt, preserve a sense of choice and independence, set boundaries when help begins to feel like taking over, and reframe the fear of becoming a burden. Most importantly, this episode gives listeners practical tools, helpful language, and small steps they can use to make asking for and receiving support feel more manageable. To learn more about Dr. Applebaum's work, visit her website and explore her book, Stand By Me: A Guide to Navigating Modern, Meaningful Caregiving, a practical guide for patients, caregivers, and families navigating serious illness. Dr. Applebaum did not receive any funding for participating in this sponsored educational podcast episode. The information shared on Dear Cancer, I'm Beautiful is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your physician or qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual medical care and treatment decisions. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Cancer Fashionista. Thank you to Novartis for making this episode of the Signature Series possible.