Jessica Bolz

As a four-time cancer survivor, I can tell you that survivorship means many things to each survivor.

I will continue to say that I am a “survivor,” and that is the best title I could ever receive.

When my grandmother passed, I noticed my aunt was ruder than usual, and I wondered if I was like that during my cancer experience... and if the pain I was going through excused that behavior.

When you put your feelings out there in cancer support groups — be it in-person or virtual — you’re opening your ideas up to others’ interpretation, and some might not like what you have to say.

After surviving cancer, I’ve developed complex post-traumatic stress disorder, which comes with feelings of insecurity and anger.

My survivor friends and I share the insensitive comments we have received about our cancer diagnosis.

I’ve been feeling like I’m walking on eggshells around my doctor, so I think it’s time that we see other people.

I laminated pictures of my friends and created an angel garden complete with a stone that reads “she flies with butterflies” to ensure that the friends I have lost to breast cancer aren’t forgotten.

A survivor of multiple cancers explains how “visits” from deceased friends and loved ones made her feel safe before undergoing treatments.

It’s easy to internalize the way other people treat you, but oftentimes it’s merely a result of their own inner struggles, a cancer survivor explains.

A cancer survivor describes how she faces her fears throughout health emergencies.

One cancer survivor explains why a friend writes letters to his loved ones before each surgery “just in case.”

What do you do when cancer begins to drive a wedge between you and your partner? “I always feel it could cause the end of my relationship because I’m too much,” writes one survivor.

A cancer survivor writes about the traumatizing experience of undergoing mastectomy, dealing with her partner’s hurtful comments about her body and how she was able to rebuild her dignity.

A cancer survivor expresses the frustration of constantly worrying about protecting her health in a dangerous world.

“When I walk into the doctor’s office and the question is asked ‘What are you coming in for today?’ My answer is ‘survivorship,’” writes a four-time cancer survivor about the difficulties of living with a history of complex health issues.

A four-time cancer survivor shares the advice her father gave her as a young child during her first journey with cancer. The words he uttered made her shift how she has looked at life.

A four-time cancer survivor writes a personal letter to her future doctors. She urges doctors to see her and not her diagnosis.