Breast cancer strikes 90,0C0 American women every year. The breast is the leading site of cancer incidence and breast cancer is the major cause of death due to cancer among women. It kills almost 34,000 annually in the United States. In fact, breast cancer is the leading cause of all deaths among women 40 through 45 years of age. The estimated number of new breast cancer cases in Alabama in 1978 was 1,100. One of thirteen women in the United States is destined to have breast cancer during her lifetime. (American Cancer Society, 1978) For many of the women who develop breast cancer, surgical removal of the breast may become a reality. Of the three methods of accepted treatment (surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy), surgical removal of the breast has been the primary method of treatment. (American Cancer Society, 1978) Loss of a breast can have traumatic effects on the patient. Problems of living on all levels, physical and psychosocial, tend to become magnified in women following mastectomy. These women need help in learning to cope with life after mastectomy.