WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Five years ago, Catherine Hamilton’s life looked a lot different. She was living in Ecuador and was running an international yoga school, but soon, everything changed.
“I was diagnosed in 2019 with breast cancer,” Hamilton said.
She came back to Wilmington for treatment, but at only 30 years old, was told she’d need surgery, chemo and radiation.
“At 30 years old, you’re going to bridal showers, and you’re going to baby showers, and weddings, and I was just going through a completely different phase of life,” Hamilton said.
Her new reality came with more than doctors’ appointments. Hamilton says she didn’t have insurance and had to figure it out on her own. Constant fears about her health, her finances and her life were all part of crippling anxiety.
“It’s like oh my god…it’s just mental health that is a large part of the diagnosis,” Hamilton said.
Mental health impacts cancer care
And she’s not alone. According to the CDC, as many as three out of every four people with cancer experience symptoms of psychological distress or cognitive concerns, issues that can hurt overall well-being and health outcomes.
That’s what social workers like Alicia Sumner at Novant Health say they’re watching for, because when someone is struggling mentally, it can start to affect their care. Missed appointments. Delayed follow-ups. Even skipped treatments.
And Sumner says that’s why having someone in your corner can make all the difference, someone who knows the system and knows what this feels like.
“We’re that one voice, that one person maybe that whole day they get to talk to — just because they feel comfortable… we do this on a daily basis,” Sumner said.
Hamilton is now cancer-free, and she’s walking toward a career in social work, interning at the same place she once came for treatment, now helping patients navigate the uncertainty she knows firsthand.
“It’s every day you get to talk to someone who is going through different stress in their life, and then also on top of that they’re experiencing a cancer diagnosis,” Hamilton said.
With Sumner as her supervisor, they’re making sure patients are being heard, so their mental health doesn’t impact their road to recovery.
Hamilton is set to graduate with her Master of Social Work degree in August.