This month I am participating in WEGO’s 30 Day Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge. Day 4’s challenge was to create a resource ‘care post.’

JoAnn’s Top 10 Resources for the Newly Diagnosed with Breast Cancer

1. Seek your BC care at a hospital that is either highly respected or is affiliated with one that is cutting edge. This should include being connected with a nurse navigator at the get-go to help you through the process.

2. Contact any friend or family member who is either a doctor or married to one. I had 3 such people to call on and found that their early words were especially enlightening. Through their insights, I realized that I was receiving excellent care and they helped me ask the right questions of my medical team.

3. Order a copy of Kristen Sauerhoff’s All the Wiser.

I was lucky enough to have a close friend send me a copy of Kristen’s manuscript right after I was diagnosed and her words helped me more than I even knew at the time.

4. Register with the American Cancer Society.

I may not have appreciated being called by a male volunteer/survivor the day after surgery because the way I write JoAnn looks like John to some people’s eyes, but I have lost track of all of the excellent and informative pamphlets and resources the ACS has linked me to. Their “tlc” catalog of hair loss, mastectomy and medical alert products is one of the most affordable sites I have found. I also attend a monthly support group affiliated with ACS and am involved in a virtual support group trial.

5. Join Dr. Susan Love’s Army of Women and check out Dr. Susan Love’s site.

Frankly, all women should join the Army of Women.

6. Find bloggers that can help guide you along the way. One excellent way to get started is by checking out Journeying Beyond Breast Cancer‘s Weekly Roundup. Marie is an amazingly compassionate and caring gatherer of others’ blogs–and a wonderful writer herself.

7. Order Marc Silver’s The Breast Cancer Husband

My husband didn’t read everything, but what he did helped. I also read many parts which helped me understand what HE was going through as a caregiver.

8. Join Twitter and than #BCSM to follow the Breast Cancer Social Media’s weekly TweetChat. The community got a great write-up in last week’s Forbes as they broaden their online engagement. This community is amazingly supportive and informative!

9. Order The Breast Cancer Survivor’s Fitness Plan–especially if you are not receiving helpful literature from your surgeon or oncologist.

10. I am also glad I ordered The Human Side of Cancer: Living with Hope, Coping with Uncertainty. I find it a very helpful read in dealing with the psychological aspects of a cancer diagnosis.