Honoring revolutionary breast-cancer warrior
Dr. Susan Love saved countless lives through her research, empathy
In the end, a lowly tape recorder helped change the face of breast cancer treatment.
Dr. Susan Love, a treasured ally and ferocious advocate in the field of breast cancer, died July 3 from a recurrence of leukemia. Love turned the world of breast cancer treatment on its head.
When Dr. Love was in premed, her adviser told her that since she would just end up going home and having babies, a medical degree would be wasted on her, and that her spot in class should go to a young man instead.
Love ignored that advice and went on to revolutionize how breast cancer is researched, diagnosed and treated, saving countless lives in the process.
The one advantage to not being a part of the old boys‘ medical network, Love liked to say, was that she didn’t have to play by the rules.
So she created a program that had as much to do with patient care, with what went on in the exam room, as it did with larger policy issues.
She offered a tape recorder and tape to every new patient — because in her experience, she joked, a woman’s ears stopped working as she got the diagnosis of breast cancer. She would listen to the tape at home, if she forgot details that had been too hard to process.
When well-intentioned family members and friends asked too many questions, Love advised patients to hand them the tape and go to the movies.
Love fought to empower patients, and to that end she published “Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book.” It is widely considered a critical resource for patients with breast cancer. According to Love it was the first book that actually explained the science. Doctors hated it. Making the patient a partner in the process was very new.
It is hard to overstate what a radical perspective that was only 30 years ago. But too many women would show up for their appointments feeling lost, subsumed by their diagnosis.
Love set out to change all that, and tape recorders were only the first step. Her advocacy for changing paternalistic treatment of women by doctors was lauded. She also brought her approach to breast cancer surgery as she attempted to save and preserve as much tissue as possible. Love brought much attention to the risk of hormone replacement for menopausal women as well.
As a breast cancer advocate for the American Cancer Society, I was privileged to get to know Dr. Love at many conferences and workshops held around the country.
I leaned especially hard on her when my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. I truly benefited from her warmth, kindness and expertise. She felt honored to help me. We also shared a few glasses of wine and danced with the advocates from all over the country.
Love was too outspoken for some with her talk of ”slash, burn and poison” to describe traditional treatments and her reference to extensive surgeries as “amputations,” but she never backed down.
It was her vision that really launched breast cancer advocacy. She had the vision that women could come together to set an agenda and to lead a movement to end breast cancer. She led us places where we didn’t envision we could go.
There will be so many stories of the thousands of lives Dr. Love touched, including mine. In each of them and through her foundation, her legacy lives on. She has indeed changed the world.
Farewell my friend, and I will keep on marching!
Dorothy Hargrove of Worcester has been an advocate for the American Cancer Society for 40 years. She is a breast cancer survivor and a breast cancer caregiver.