Ready for Recovery? This Cancer Treatment Planner Helps

Courtesy of Ready for Recovery

In 2005, Julie Grimm underwent surgery for a brain tumor. Just three years later, she discovered she had breast cancer. Rather than let this second diagnosis defeat her, Julie conceived an idea that became her lifesaver through treatment: The Ready for Recovery Breast Cancer Planner (RR). She has since helped hundreds of women with breast cancer, as they gain a little bit of control over a very out-of-control situation. Patients become more grounded and organized with a better understanding and a clearer plan of how to navigate through the treatment process.

It all started with her own store-bought planner, which Julie took everywhere to stay organized and on top of her treatment.

“I felt so empowered with it. I actually had a handle on the chaos, the terminology, the scheduling...” Julie says. “While going through chemo I realized I could use the knowledge I had gained from my experiences to create a tool to help others."

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So she went on to develop an extremely personalized and comprehensive planner, with numerous logs to help patients track appointments, cancer side effects, medication, chemo and radiation.

The logs are essential for a patient navigating through confusing treatment options.

“One of the things that was so difficult for me was remembering what pain medicine worked and didn’t and the reactions I had to them after several surgeries. You think you'll never forget, but you do,” Julie reflects. “Having had the medication log would have saved me the pain and anxiety of not getting the pain drugs right the fist time and it would have saved the docs money and time on wasted drugs,” she says.

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Aside from the medical logs, there are calendar pages, an address book and plenty of space to write questions and notes, all with colorful tabs at your fingertips. The planner contains placeholders for receipts, business cards and a CD.