Patients
The stories and experiences in this category are written by people currently going through treatments for cancer. Read these stories to find inspiration and know that you are not alone in your fight with cancer.
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Download the Top 7 Tips for a Successful Doctor’s Visit
In collaboration with our friends at Abridge, we developed the handout “Top 7 tips for a successful doctor’s visit”. Our goal is to have this be a resource to help organize and prepare patients before any oncology or PCP visit.
Read More...The Impact of Showing Up…or Not
Forgiveness is a virtue. I’ve always been a pretty loyal and forgiving person – often at the expense of my own personal growth and mental health, as I have extended the benefit of the doubt to many people, jobs and situations that didn’t truly deserve it.
Read More...Being Present for Kirsten
My dear friend Kirsten was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia following our sophomore year of college. While others were going about their lives studying, attending sporting events and parties, Kirsten was entering the fight of her life: for her life.
Read More...The Cancer Patient: Behind the Emoji
Every morning, I wake up and scroll through Instagram to read the stories posted on The Cancer Patient (TCP) account. This account and online community has personally brought me laughter and comfort on my darkest days.
Read More...Here’s How I Shaved My Head
I’m out to prove a point, btw, that what YOU read, see, hear about cancer is a load of shit. People posing triumphantly. Ringing a bell. Surrounded by family and friends. It’s a production.
Read More...Being Present: How My Daughter’s Experience Inspired Us To Improve Support For Young Adults with Cancer
As I sat in my daughter Kirsten’s hospital room one afternoon in August of 2015, I looked across at her to see the sun shining on her face through the window.
Read More...Keepin’ It (too) Real
If there is one bright spot in my cancer journey, it is my newfound ability to overstep social boundaries within a few minutes of meeting a new person. “Hi, nice to meet you. My name is Cameron. I currently live in Boulder and I can’t figure out if I have heartburn or there’s a tumor in my chest.”
Read More...Cancer Care for the LGBTQ+ Patient: Creating Equity in Oncology and Community
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, plus (LGBTQ+) folks come from a variety of cultures, ethnicities, races, age-groups, and life experiences.
Read More...Facing Your Mortality in Split Seconds
When discussing the most consequential moments in anyone’s cancer journey, you hear about the initial diagnosis, relapses, or the surprisingly debilitating side effects of chemotherapy and radiation.
Read More...HOPE… Beyond My Name
My mother used to say, “Everyone is the architect of his own destiny”. However, in the middle of 2018, I expressed to her my disagreement with that phrase, given that destiny is out of our control. Due to my recently diagnosed cancer, my destiny was not as planned anymore.
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