Survivorship
The stories and experiences are written by people after cancer treatments. These stories are written for those learning how to get back to work, college or just trying to be themselves again. Just getting past treatments isn’t enough, it is surviving and thriving that is key to being you again.
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Navigating the Uncharted Terrain of Cancer
In the intricate tapestry of life, sometimes we find ourselves in unforeseen chapters that redefine who we are. My journey with cancer began with my mother’s diagnosis in her late 30s, a pivotal moment that shaped my own destiny. As her youngest child, I discovered I had inherited the aggressive gene that had nearly taken her away from me.
Read More...How Church Supported Me During My Diagnosis
I have always been involved in the Christian Community—I went to Christian school my whole life and I’ve been attending my church for over five years now. I didn’t tell many people at Church about my diagnosis until things got really bad.
Read More...You’re On Your Own, Kid
Taylor Swift really got it right when she said, “You’re on your own, kid, you always have been.”
Nobody prepares you for what it feels like to be a cancer survivor.
Read More...The Rocky Road of a Cancer Survivor
I never know what to say when people tell me how strong I am for beating cancer. For one, I do not feel at all strong. Nor do I feel like I’ve “beaten cancer.” From my perspective, all I’ve done since being diagnosed in 2019 is not die.
Read More...Coping in the Present
As a young adult, you have your entire life ahead of you until a cancer diagnosis forces you to consider the harsh reality of your mortality. Like most AYA cancer patients, my first diagnosis was shocking, and my entire world stopped.
Read More...“It’s Not You, It’s Your Cancer”
Did you know that some people will stop being your friend simply because you got sick? I didn’t know this was a “thing” until I myself was diagnosed with cancer. If you are reading this as someone outside the cancer community, you’re probably shocked or think I’m mistaken. I’m not.
Read More...Surviving Survivorship: The Big C
The big C. The big C represents cancer, but change should be considered (I see the word change and sing “cha cha changes” in my head every single time). Change is a spectrum and is inevitable. Change can be good or bad, or something in between. It can impact you a smidge or profoundly, or something borderline. Cancer changes almost everything, especially perspectives.
Read More...The Many Unseen Challenges of Survivorship
I don’t think any AYA would agree with the definition of survivorship, at least in the traditional sense. Through media and life in general, the AYA community is largely forgotten. I think the traditional definition of survivorship only applies to much older generations who have outrageous amounts of money in their retirement accounts.
Read More...The Sympathetic Magic of Dolls
There are many cultures where dolls are considered a magical item. Animism attributes a soul to the inanimate: plants, objects, and natural phenomena. I remember the first time I read about the Shinto belief that there is a spiritual essence, or kami, in all things.
Read More...The Cancer Between Us
We were just kids
Playing catch, kiss, and release
With the fish of our dreams
On the afternoon of our lives