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.
Want to submit a story? Click Here.
Prescription of Nature
I’m tired. Like to-the-bone weary, at a point where I switch into autopilot mode and float, not present in the moment, or really in the past or future, just tired. So, let’s talk about how I got here. It’s a mix of a glorious adventure in nature and sterile walls and fluorescent lights all in the matter of a week.
Read More...“It’s cancer. I’m sorry.”
“It’s cancer. I’m sorry.” I remember things immediately going silent. My brain and everything around me suddenly went dark. Hearing the words “rare and aggressive” and “I’m sorry” are a few things that I do remember.
Read More...Cancer Didn’t Care
Cancer didn’t care / Cancer didn’t care I was only nineteen / Cancer didn’t care I wanted to go back to school / Cancer didn’t care I loved my body and was comfortable with myself / Cancer didn’t care I was happy with my life
Read More...In the Mountains, I am Free
The golden sun warmed the brown and gray mountains. Short alpine grasses leaned into the wind and reached for oxygen at the high elevation, always finding a way to bloom. I was sitting in the passenger seat of my mom’s car with the windows rolled down, so I could take in the sweet smell of pines and the crisp Colorado air.
Read More...The Healing Power of Dolphins
Learning about the healing power of dolphins started when I was in the hospital. Some nurses and doctors joked that one of the side effects I had from chemotherapy was laughter. I was able to see the positive in everything and was constantly giggling.
Read More...Tides
We got out of our 2008 Toyota Matrix, arriving at a gorgeous cabin on the coast of Maine, so far from our little apartment in South Brooklyn, on a little peninsula looking out over a chain of islands leading out to the Atlantic.
Read More...Finding My Herd Through Writing
“Finding your herd.” At a first glance, what does this mean? My first thought was that I should look for a group of animals. Then I realized that I should be looking at people instead.
Read More...To the Boobies
I’m not sure if I’ve given you enough appreciation for the numbered years we had, because you weren’t really my asset; you were not big. I would look at other girls and sometimes I’d wish you’d be like theirs, but really most of the time having you felt like I didn’t give a damn, because I know that you are not the only one that made me feel beautiful, and my femininity does not solely belong to you.
Read More...How Do I Break the News?
How Do I Break The News? Cancer, Companionship, and Right to Privacy. Navigating the dating scene is particularly difficult for everyone, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it gets even worse when one is a cancer survivor.
Read More...Helping Others Actually Helps Yourself
Most people don’t think about the full power of volunteering. It is easy to see how the giving of your time helps the receiver, but you can’t fully understand the gift to yourself. It can take lots of time to fully reveal itself.
Read More...