COPING PATTERNS OF WOMEN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS IN KIGALI-RWANDA A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY
Abstract
Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths amongst women worldwide. Most
women diagnosed with breast cancer live throughout life with some challenges and thereby adopt
some coping mechanisms in order to minimise their ordeal. This study examined the coping
patterns exhibited by Women Breast Cancer Survivors (WBCS). A phenomenological research
design was employed with the snow ball approach for data collection. Ten (10) WBCS were
interviewed with average age of 40 years. The results show that WBCS shared common four
coping patterns, namely: spirituality, support from family and friends, the medical team, the use
of prosthesis. Other emerged sub themes were: disease removal not organ removal, and socialising
with other victims of breast cancer. The results showed that women who survived breast cancer
always have a story to tell on their coping patterns despite the debilitating physical and emotional
traumas of living with breast cancer.
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