If you have had a will prepared by an attorney, you may want to look at it more closely. A will primarily addresses where or to whom you wish your assets to go after your death. A living will, on the other hand, helps you and your loved ones by expressing your end-of-life wishes so that if you are incapacitated, your family and loved ones will carry on your wishes in concert with your doctor.

A health-care proxy (HCP) form can be filled out without the help of an attorney and can be completed at most doctors' offices, hospitals, and health care facilities. An HCP designates another person or persons to act on your behalf in regards to your health care decisions. The person named in your HCP should be someone that you trust to carry out your health care wishes when you cannot. If you appointed a HCP prior to your breast cancer diagnosis and you found that person was ill-equipped to assist you or lacked the knowledge and emotional stamina needed, then you may want to appoint another HCP in the future.

A durable power of attorney (DPOA) is a legal document that can only be prepared by an attorney. The document enables an individual to designate another person, called the attorney-in-fact, to act on his or her behalf, even in the event the individual becomes disabled or incapacitated. In essence, the individual so named is designated to be your financial representative, usually paying your bills and managing your overall fiscal affairs when you are not able because of illness or other health care issues.

If you do not have any of these documents, it is advised that you meet with an attorney to prepare them. If you have done them prior to breast cancer treatment, now is a good time to reassess your wishes. After breast cancer treatment, they will have more meaning and require more detailed attention as you have faced your mortality through your breast cancer journey. They will have more significance to you. By embracing your mortality, you will live more freely and purposefully.