Cancer... a little unnoticed alien to our bodies, constantly evolving, growing and creating chaos in the lives of a world population. An initially shocking diagnosis followed by fear of treatment, of the unknown, often affects family members as well as patients around the world. In 2006 my grandmother was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer which she discovered while we were on a family vacation. The fear she must have felt as she kept this from us until she could go home and get a correct diagnosis must have been great! They told me this a few days after the diagnosis and I immediately became scared, angry, sad, depressed and confused. My grandmother was fortunate to have good doctors who were able to destroy all the cancer before it spread too far. My grandmother now leads a normal life with minimal side effects from chemotherapy and radiation treatments. I personally have recovered from most of my emotions towards my grandmother; however, my sister, who was younger at the time, has never been able to look at my grandmother in the same way since. We are fortunate that our feelings were manageable, but what emotional effects do patients and their families experience from diagnosis to final outcome? In the environment we live in today, America is subject to new and dangerous factors that can ultimately cause cancer and potentially harm the health and safety of the public. The barrage of conflicting and confusing reports that are published almost weekly can cause anxiety and fear in people who may never have cancer, but for those whose diagnosis is real, even the strongest individuals can be brought to their knees by the news. Even though medical procedures have been advancing since...... middle of paper ......c Search Premier. Network. March 24, 2011. Barraclough, Jennifer. "Cancer and emotion: a practical guide to psycho-oncology". Cancer and emotion: a practical guide to psycho-oncology (n.d.): netLibrary. Network. March 24, 2011.Baider, Lea.; Cooper, Cary L.; Kaplan De-Nour, A. “Cancer and the Family.” Cancer and the family (n.d.): netLibrary. Network. March 24, 2011.Hudson, Lois. Telephone interview. March 20, 2011.Marcy List, et al. “State anxiety and cancer-specific anxiety in breast cancer survivors.” Journal of Psychosocial Oncology 22.4 (2004): 93-109. Premier of academic research. Network. March 24, 2011.Edwards, Ben and Valerie Clarke. "THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF A CANCER DIAGNOSIS ON FAMILIES: THE INFLUENCE OF FAMILY FUNCTIONING AND PATIENTS' ILLNESS CHARACTERISTICS ON DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY." Psycho-Oncology 13.8 (2004): 562-576. Premier of academic research. Network. March 24. 2011.