Breast Cancer Archives - Elephants and Tea

Beyond Your Grip

by Kayla DeSonier May 11, 2026

You showed up like a thief, but worse, a thief takes what they want and leaves. You moved in, uninvited, rewriting my story in ink I never chose.

People often ask, “are you okay now?” But how should I really answer that question? I am so scared all the time, I can’t even think straight. I wish life was simple but it’s not. It’s complicated, hard, and crazy at times but I try to make the most out of it.

Dear Cancer, You’re the Queen of Giving and Taking Away

by Amanda Tucker

You’re the queen of giving and taking away. I look back now at how much I thought my life was ruined the day I opened a mychart notification with the word carcinoma in it.

Lifelines Through a Keyboard

by Beth Gainer April 27, 2026

Shock permeated my breast cancer diagnosis. I was too young and healthy for this disease, or so I thought. I was fooled by the longevity that ran in my family. Now chemotherapy ran through my veins, and radiation also took its toll on my body.

Still Here: The Weight and Wonder of Life After Cancer

by Shanise Pearce

I used to think survivorship meant the hard part was over. That once the chemotherapy ended and the surgeries were done, I’d step into something brighter. Something easier. I thought I’d wake up one day and feel like myself again.

The Give and Take of Cancer

by Daiga Simanska April 20, 2026

I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 39 – a time in my life when everything finally felt steady. Life had a rhythm, a sense of peace I had worked so hard to build. I had a stable job I genuinely enjoyed, daily routines that grounded me, and a grown, independent daughter who had become her own beautiful person.

Choosing Hope

by Katie Newbaum April 13, 2026

Cancer has taken so much. It’s hard to think of what it’s given. But I suppose it has put me in the here and now – forced me to be in the present. Required that I think of life as a gift where tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.

Why Wouldn’t Cancer Radicalize You?

by Liddy Grantland April 6, 2026

Walkers, wheelchairs, canes. Tattoos, skin grafts, port scars. Those just-growing-in chemo bobs and badass wigs. Jackets, handheld fans, water bottles.

Things I Wish My Doctor Knew

by Dr. Nikki Taylor, MD March 30, 2026

I do not write this to assign blame. I write it because I survived — and survival has given me clarity. There are things I wish my doctor knew. I wish my doctor knew how to calculate my breast cancer risk accurately.

Five Lessons from a Survivor

by Natalie J

Sometimes I wish I could have said the things I was screaming in my head or cried about on the inside, fearful to say out loud. As a master-trained healthcare administrator, adult caregiver, advocate for health equity, and a patient with various conditions, I am no stranger to interacting with doctors.