Survivorship Archives - Page 2 of 13

Becoming More Than Okay

by Dillon Groover April 20, 2026

“No one will ever understand.” “Just pretend to fit in.” “Why can’t I just be normal?” And more hyperbolic, rhetorical questions to harass myself with over the years.

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.

Thick is Beautiful

by Ceidy Jimenez April 13, 2026

Thicker skin doesn’t suggest overweight, A bigger size doesn’t mean too big, The size of a waist doesn’t define beauty, Hair doesn’t define me though history is attached to it, Cancer made me believe that I had lost myself due to losing my hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes

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.

The Emotions of Cancer

by Vikki Ramdass-Husain March 23, 2026

Let’s begin by listing the emotions that I have experienced since diagnosis. Before diagnosis, I was a quiet girl, never said much, kept to myself. Upon diagnosis, I became scared, fearful and disenchanted with life and everyone around me.

Rebuilding Myself, Rebuilding Others

by Ashley Rath March 16, 2026

There’s a line by Taylor Swift that has stuck with me: “Once we have spoken our saddest story, we can be free of it.” For me, that saddest story began in March of 2021, when a sudden pain in my right breast sent me to the doctor. I was 39, busy with work and raising two young girls, and my OBGYN thought it would be nothing more than a cyst.

Embracing Every Emotion: My Path as a Pediatric Survivor

by Mercades Fisher

A few weeks ago, I was talking to a cancer buddy, and he recommended I try to submit this article. I always felt like I couldn’t become friends with people from Elephants and Tea because I was so young with my cancer diagnosis.

My Invisible Illness

by Kristen Stewart March 2, 2026

While it’s been 6 years since my emergency brain surgery and discovery of my rare brain tumor, whenever I unexpectedly hear the word cancer in the media or in a conversation nearby, I cringe. It’s a surreal reaction.

Uninvited

by Wendi Korth February 23, 2026

Dear Cancer, I never invited you in. You barged into my life unannounced, unwelcomed, and completely unraveled the world I had worked so hard to hold together.