Navigating Cancer: A Study on Breast Cancer Experience

The oncological process involves multiple changes that must be navigated throughout the illness. This study explores how María constructs meaning in her relationship with herself and her environment in response to the ruptures and transitions emerging in the early stages of breast cancer. From the moment of diagnosis, María’s experience shifted from perceiving cancer as an abstract possibility to confronting it as a concrete reality filled with physical, emotional, and social challenges. In this process, her interpretations of the illness were gradually reconstructed, moving from viewing cancer as distant to recognizing it as part of her everyday life. Grounded in cultural psychology, this research examines the moments in which her representations emerged and how the experience of cancer transformed the way she relates to herself and her surroundings. The study demonstrates that inhabiting cancer is not merely a medical process but a deeply symbolic experience in which every change, loss, and adjustment creates new ways of existing and relating to the world.