Emotional Support
Cancer sucks. Whether you are a patient, survivor, caregiver or loved one we all go through it differently. Read these inspiring and emotional stories to learn how others like you are getting through their journey with cancer.
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Word Weight: Survivor
Don’t let cancer enjoy the show. Tolerate each other with grace and acceptance. Remember that everyone is trying to live their best life and they will each handle their experiences differently. There will be plenty of people in the young adult cancer community who will frustrate you with their words or actions but remember survivor or not, we’re all in this together.
Read More...My Name is Steve and I Am a Drug Addict
Two months earlier I had just finished my treatment for my first cancer. It was a 10-month journey filled with two spine surgeries, countless chemotherapy treatments and five weeks of radiation. During those 10-months I developed a fondness for my pain medication. I didn’t have that much pain that night, but I was sad and feeling alone.
Read More...What the Word Survivor Means to Me
The person I am today is as much influenced by cancer as it is by other life events. The point where cancer survivorship’s influence ends and the impact from another one of my life experiences begins is too murky to really tease out.
Read More...From the Other Side of the Knife
Let me start off by letting you know that I am a doctor, an Orthopedic Surgeon actually. I was working the long Memorial holiday weekend last year at the hospital taking trauma call and the weekend was super busy with injuries and surgeries.
Read More...Moving Connection Online
It is not enough to just survive cancer. Through an online community and online programs, young adult cancer survivors can connect with one another, validate one another’s concerns, and thereby reclaim their post-cancer lives alongside those who understand. They can regain control over their lives post-cancer and thrive.
Read More...Handling Supportive People
Learning how to handle supportive people is equally as important. When I was first diagnosed with cancer, I didn’t realize that there are many different types of support styles. Some of these styles are energizing and others, while still well-intended, can be very draining.
Read More...How Writing Has Helped Me Live
I clearly remember the first time I read a book. Not a children’s book but a real novel. You know? My reading experience happened during what I call LBC or Life Before Cancer. I was 12 years old and it was a magical experience. The pages turned themselves.
Read More...The Difference A Nurse Can Make
This nurse made me smile every day. She made my family smile as well and I promise you, at the time their wasn’t that much to smile about. It wasn’t like she was telling jokes but rather she just treated me like me – not like a patient.
Read More...I Have No Idea What I Am Doing
The challenges of navigating the adult health care system from a pediatric state of mind. Going from a child to adult happens gradually over time: Getting a part time job to ease you into the workforce; learning how to drive; parents teaching you how to cook, clean and be self sufficient.
Read More...First Day of the Rest of My Life
I felt confused, scared, and angry that I, a 27 year old, had breast cancer. After a few sleepless days and tons of research (if you know me, I really mean tons) I accepted it. I wanted to fight this with an amount of optimism and positivity that I have never really known.
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