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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Misconceptions, Hard Parts, and What Others Ought To Know

by Jon Fox April 9, 2025

One of the largest misconceptions about facing cancer as an AYA is the idea that life goes back to “normal” after treatment is over.

a common misconception

by Jessica Acosta

there’s a sense of shame casted over us, as if we aren’t back to living up to society’s expectations…

Lost and Found Middle Child

by Molly Gaynor April 7, 2025

We all wear many hats. We all identify in many ways. Me? I’m a wife, daughter, sister, cat mom, dog mom, friend, Disney aficionado-just to name a few.

Being a young adult with cancer (AYA) places you on a different planet compared to everyone else. You are suddenly ejected from your life without warning. Your peers often perceive you as brave as you navigate your cancer journey and resilient because of your youth—”You’ve got this.” As if we have a choice.

Coming to Terms with the Side Effects of Treatment

by K. Hudson Guttman

As a boy, I used to race the sun: I would start in the forest as the sun set, at the bottom of a hill, and try to climb as the darkness nipped at my feet. My body would throb with the blood rushing to my limbs before it collapsed with exhaustion. Now, sitting at the river’s edge, I am at that point again; I cannot go any further without rest.

A Year of Cancer: Somehow, It’s Still Me

by Myk Earnhardt March 26, 2025

Who am I after Cancer? I think I’m still figuring it out. It hasn’t even been a year.

The Scars Are Not Only on My Body but in My Mind

by Shandell Wright March 24, 2025

The scars cancer left behind are not only ones that are on the surface but go much deeper. The scars that cancer left can’t always be seen. Yes, you can look at my body and see on my chest and neck where a port once was placed. You can look even closer at my body […]

When Does It Get Better?

by Chelsey Gomez March 19, 2025

Cancer didn’t just change my body; it reshaped my soul. My husband joked that I was “Chelsey 2.0” after my first cancer treatment ended—a newer, better version of myself.

Moles and Monsters

by Sarah Fischer

I had to have a mole removed recently. Not so much a mole mole as a splotch, a flat, discolored smudge about the size of a nickel, borderless and nearly inconspicuous among the follicles.