As a breast cancer survivor, I have become more active in my efforts to call attention to problems with secondhand smoke in my community. Since I know that exposure is not healthy, lobbying for changes in attitudes, as well as policies, makes me feel more empowered.
Success with new treatments helped me realize I need to reinforce to myself and to other cancer survivors that hope is just around the corner when we least expect it.
Does your cancer diagnosis grow your patience and ability to live with change and cope with the unknown? Absolutely.
Recovering from cancer and its aftermath is like grief; always changing, undulating and rippling like a tide.
Learn how the pain through the trauma of cancer can transform in positive ways.
How do you trust your body when it has genetics that could give you cancer? Who do you turn to for support?
Here are the top 5 CURE stories for February 2019.
Being a cancer survivor means that I'm living on borrowed time and struggling to find the balance.
Art can help us understand our deepest feelings, helping us cope and reflecting the complexity of life after cancer.
Simple kindnesses can help to diffuse negative emotions that are associated with cancer diagnosis and treatment—and may even help to improve patients’ outcomes.
If we have the capacity to love then we have to face grief as well, along with how it manifests in our lives—particularly through sleep.
How can we finally rid ourselves of the emotional baggage that fear brings us and free up our minds to think about the good stuff?
Mandalas can help people with cancer and their caregivers find purpose.
I am thrilled to be enjoying a respite from chemo but afraid to be happy. How can I process this scary new freedom?
When and where to mention (or not mention) your ongoing cancer survivorship story?
Writing down our thoughts is a novel idea.
I have gotten exceptionally good at worrying about things that never end up happening. I'd say I am failing at worry.
One widow's journey to stay in her home honors her husband's memory and brings healing.
Cancer survivors have tremendous issues and fears to go through after an initial diagnosis. Don't add to your distress or lose sleep over self-blame.
Anxiety before an appointment can be troublesome for a person with cancer. In this post, learn ways to conquer those feelings.
Although they no longer face the disease, adolescent and young adult survivors live with hardships.
Your disease does not make you unworthy, because only the worthy will see past it.
The emotional ups and downs associated with a diagnosis of breast cancer can take a person on a very stressful ride. In this post, learn how one survivor managed to turn that stressful event into a joy ride.
A five-year lesson in cancer, worry and hope.
Cancer survivors struggle to sort out "normal" signs of aging from symptoms of cancer's return.
Why it matters when hope isn't really hope at all (and tips on reading articles about cancer research).
My animals have taught me how to accept aging and managing the side-effects of chemo with dignity, as well as how to enjoy naps without feeling guilty.
Survivors with children face some of the biggest challenges when it comes to visualizing the future. After my breast cancer diagnosis in 1986, it was my daughter's future, rather than my own, for which I bargained.
I am the first to admit that I have a love-hate relationship with breast forms post-mastectomy. Every now and then, I do put one on. It comforts me to know that there are multiple options (especially for women who wear them regularly).
I've had many outward signs that let the world know I had cancer, so the latest addition to my wardrobe didn't exactly make it much more obvious.