More care needed for women

I’m grateful to Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie for her perspective in “A Catholic doctor’s take on hormone replacement therapy” in the Sept. 4 issue. As a wife, mother, grandmother, and someone who has long worked to support and encourage women, I find it good to see conversations that support and uplift women. So often, we who care for others put our own self-care last. I believe our families and friends sometimes suffer as a result.

I’m currently three years out from a Stage III estrogen-positive breast cancer diagnosis and in active treatment with aromatase inhibitors, medication that lowers estrogen levels in the body to treat or prevent hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. So I was particularly happy to read Christie’s wisdom that this is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Her counsel that clinical decisions should be made in consultation with one’s physician is prudent.

It’s time for more faithful discussions like this one, thoughtfully addressing the correlation between our mental, emotional, and physical well-being and our spiritual journeys, to take place in trusted women’s ministry settings.

— Lisa Hendey, CatholicMom.com, Los Angeles