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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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What Matters Most in Life
Dear Brandi,
When it comes to making an impression, the old adage “first impressions last” definitely applies. From the moment you were born, you were destined to be a fighter.
Scrambled Eggs
Getting out of bed has been so difficult lately. It’s been months since I’ve had a good night’s sleep. It seems like no matter how many blankets I use or how many layers I wear at night, I’m always freezing. Last night I woke up twice in a cold sweat.
Read More...My Cancer Rider
My Cancer Rider. And no I’m not referring to an insurance policy add-on. I’m talking about the type of thing celebrities have. You know, only green M&Ms in the candy dish or black toilet paper ready and waiting in the bathroom. Okay, maybe not that extreme, but you get my point.
Read More...Things I’d Want You to Know
Dear Younger Self,
Things I’d want to know: you will have a son then a daughter. Both will have your luscious, loose brown curls and wide eyes wrapped in blankets of long, black lashes. Sometimes you will look at them and think “I would, literally, withstand anything for you.” And you will.
Read More...Surveillance is Not Enough
I wouldn’t be able to tell you the last time I cried, but I remember doing so on June 12, 2013. Tears of relief, awe, and slight trepidation. After six months of chemotherapy and five years of six-month surveillance check-ins, I left my treating oncologist’s office for the last time.
Read More...Love and a Higher Power
Content/Trigger Warning: Sexual Harassment. Does a higher power exist? I believe so and always have. Although, throughout my life, I have had a hard time connecting with it.
Read More...A Second Chance
Never in my life did I think I would be here today writing about being a two-time cancer survivor at 28 years old. My name is Gena Bradshaw, and I was diagnosed with leukemia at age three and a half and thyroid cancer at age twenty.
Read More...Night Vision
Some years are a dark tunnel / claustrophobic with exhaust / Some, an open field / the biggest sky and the slightest breeze / And I suspect some years / fall somewhere in between / But my memory lately / is of the extremes
Read More...The Who’s Who of Sexual Health in Survivorship
Building a Sexual Wellness Recovery Team. Changes in sex, intimacy, and relationships are common after cancer. But if you are experiencing an issue, it can feel pretty lonely, and you may not know who to ask for help. Your primary care or oncology care teams are always a good place to start.
Read More...Stop Calling Me a Warrior
I remember the day I was diagnosed with cancer, but it is all a bit of a blur. You know how sometimes videos are made of snap shots of split-second moments—they just flash up on the screen. Maybe a picture for each minute.
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