This inquiry describes the experience of 45 female breast cancer survi
vors using Schutz's interpretation of phenomenology as the theoretical
framework. The research design is a multicase, comparative situationa
l analysis. Breast cancer survival is explored from the points of view
of all study participants. A dialectic is formed that juxtaposes etic
and emic views of survival to enhance understanding of the meaning of
breast cancer survival. Hermeneutic analysis yielded commonalities in
meanings, situations, and life experiences. Analysis was further divi
ded into thematic analysis, depiction of exemplars, and paradigm cases
to provide clarity and vividness to the multifaceted phenomenon of br
east cancer survival.