Survivorship

My Cancer Story

I was diagnosed with Brain Cancer in December 2012. My anesthesia level was full. My treatment was five days a week for chemotherapy and one day a week for radiation therapy. I will not mention the name of the hospital that treated me, but I will say that it needs to be closed down.

Expected Losses, Unexpected Gains

I don’t like surprises. As a child, I was told that when I received a gift I didn’t like, I had to swallow my disappointment and pretend that I liked the gift. I found this immensely difficult to do, and would often say “thank you, I love it,” with a grimace and tears threatening to spill over the edges of my eyelids.

The Mission Behind My Journey

Life often throws unforeseen challenges our way. As the saying goes, “Life be lifing.” For me, that challenge came in the form of a peritoneal mesothelioma diagnosis. This rare and aggressive cancer, usually associated with asbestos exposure, dramatically changed my life when I was just 21.

Alive and Scarred

Scars – by definition, are “marks left on the skin or within body tissue where a wound, burn or sore has not healed completely and fibrous connective tissue has developed. A lasting effect of grief, fear, or other emotion left on a person’s character by a traumatic experience. A mark left on something following damage of some kind.” 

“I Won’t Let This Define Me.”

I remember very clearly driving home from my second-to-last chemo. My brother was driving us to his house, which he was trying to sell. He had his own way of being supportive during my treatment, which included occasionally being my support person during chemo.

Not So Great Expectations

I’ve had many expectations for what I thought my life would become. I expected to get through school with good grades in a subject that would be useful to me in my future career.

Did I Ask for Cancer?

Did I ask?

I didn’t choose cancer

But I did ask for it

The Stairwell

You never can make sense of the whole picture until you remember the trepidation you felt at nine years old when you went back to school, fresh out of the children’s hospital. Not only were you a little girl with barely-there hair and a chemo-induced puffy face, but you were still relearning how to go […]

Genito-What? Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause Part II

Welcome to Part II of our series all about genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM)—t he sneaky but significant side effect you’ve never heard of! If you haven’t read Part I, I’d suggest going back and starting there. It’s a good intro into our current convo because it gets into the nitty gritty of what GSM is and why it can develop in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) after cancer.

Fake It Until You Make It

When you see cancer portrayed in the media, there are two common storylines. Either the patient is dying, or they are living their “best life” despite it all.