Survivorship

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.

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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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

I Am the (Cancer-y) Lorax. I Speak for the (Cannabis) Trees.

In a world where I’ve dedicated my life to caring for others, it took a cancer diagnosis to realize that sometimes I needed to be taken care of. Who would have thought? As an INFJ-T Myers Briggs personality type, the turbulent “T” has only intensified post-cancer.

How to Support Friends Through Survivor’s Guilt

I think it is important to support cancer patients who are going through their cancer journey. There are many cancer survivors who are struggling with survivor’s guilt and have lost someone who has been through cancer.