AYA Cancer Archives - Page 14 of 75

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.

When Over-The-Counter Options Aren’t Enough

by Marloe Esch DNP, RN, APNP, AGCNS-BC, OCN, CSC March 31, 2025

When Over-The-Counter Options Aren’t Enough. Welcome to the last installment of our series all about genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM—the sneaky but significant side effect you’ve never heard of! Previously, in Part I, we reviewed that GSM is a collection of genital, sexual, and urinary side effects that can develop because of estrogen loss caused by certain cancer treatments. Part II looked at non-hormonal moisturizers and lubricants, two safe and effective treatment options that are often all that’s needed to keep symptoms at bay.

a life forgotten

by Summer Konechny March 26, 2025

I grieve every life. I could have lived these past years. I miss who I was.

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

by Myk Earnhardt

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.