Cancer... a small, unnoticed stranger to our bodies, evolving, growing and creating havoc in the lives of a global population. An initially shocking diagnosis, followed by fear of treatment, of the unknown, often affects family members as well as patients around the world. In 2006, my grandmother was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, which she discovered while we were on a family vacation. The fear she must have felt keeping her hidden from us until she could go home and get a proper diagnosis must have been great! I was told about it a few days after diagnosis and immediately became fearful, angry, sad, depressed and confused. My grandmother was lucky to have good doctors who could destroy all the cancer before it spread too much. My grandmother now leads a normal life with minimal side effects left by chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Personally, I have recovered from most of my emotions regarding my grandmother; but since then, my sister, who was younger at the time, can no longer look at my grandmother in the same way. We are fortunate that our feelings are manageable, but what emotional effects do patients and their families experience from diagnosis to final outcome? In the environment we live in today, America is subject to new and dangerous factors that can ultimately cause cancer and cancer. potentially harm the health and safety of the population. The barrage of conflicting and confusing reports released almost every week can cause anxiety and fear in people who may never have had cancer, but for those with a real diagnosis, even the most strong people can be brought to their knees in the face of the news. Even as medical procedures progress middle of paper ......c Search Premier. Internet. March 24, 2011.Barraclough, Jennifer. “Cancer and emotion: a practical guide to psycho-oncology.” Cancer and emotion: a practical guide to psycho-oncology (nd): netLibrary. Internet. March 24, 2011. Baider, Lea.; Cooper, Cary L.; Kaplan De-Nour, A. “Cancer and family”. Cancer and family (nd): netLibrary. Internet. March 24, 2011. Hudson, Lois. Telephone interview. March 20, 2011. Marcy List, et al. “State anxiety and cancer-specific anxiety in breast cancer survivors.” » Journal of Psychosocial Oncology 22.4 (2004): 93-109. Premier Academic Research. Internet. March 24, 2011. Edwards, Ben and Valerie Clarke. “THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF A CANCER DIAGNOSIS ON FAMILIES: THE INFLUENCE OF FAMILY FUNCTIONING AND PATIENTS’ ILLNESS CHARACTERISTICS ON DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY.” Psycho-Oncology 13.8 (2004): 562-576. Premier Academic Research. Internet. March 24. 2011.