I Had Cancer

This experience felt very isolating as I was the only 16-year-old in the fertility clinic. I had to complete a lengthy hormone treatment to freeze my eggs, which was very difficult for an already hormonal teenager going through puberty.

After all this, I just tried to enjoy the rest of my summer and not think about the upcoming chemo. I couldn’t work, I couldn’t do much with my friends, and I couldn’t work out which was one of my favorite activities. I really missed feeling strong.

The Craziest Journey of My Life: Ovarian Cancer at 16 |... I’m Rachel and I’ve been diagnosed with ovarian mucinous cancer at 16 years old., I’m Rachel and I’ve been diagnosed with ovarian mucinous cancer at 16 years old.

"Being a cancer survivor is a badge of honor, I accept, respect, and appreciate what I went through. Meeting others like myself who went through the adversity and came out on the other side, knowing you’re not alone in this fight.

Do not feel shame, guilt, humiliation, or judgment for having gone through something so tragic, just know you’re here for a reason. I no longer allow that guilt or unworthiness to take my energy, for I am here for a reason, I chose this life."

https://www.ihadcancer.com/overcoming-survivors-guilt-ya-2x-cancer-survivor

After the 3-week waiting period, I was scheduled to be admitted to MDA on 9/11/2001. Yes, the day that our country stood still. The day that changed our country and so many lives, forever.

Due to those horrific events, my chemo was delayed until the next day.

While the world was glued to their TV screens and our country was preparing to go to war, I too was preparing for the biggest battle of my life.

Struggles Are For You, Not Against You, If You Choose |... Having osteosarcoma already put me in rare category, throw being pregnant on top of it, made it even more difficult., Having osteosarcoma already put me in rare category, throw being pregnant on top of it, made it even more difficult.

"Before I got too excited, I asked him to give me his definition of “cured”. He said we had a 75 - 80% chance of flying home cancer-free. Now, we just had to get our son on an airplane to fly across the country. Patiently, we waited for St Jude to book our flights and we rolled the dice and went."

Brain Tumor: A Parent’s Worst Nightmare | IHadCancer That is when a parent's worst nightmare happened. A team of doctors walked into our room. We were told Maddox has a brain tumor., That is when a parent's worst nightmare happened. A team of doctors walked into our room. We were told Maddox has a brain tumor.

"6 a.m. on a Tuesday morning, my mom and I were woken up in our emergency room bay by a doctor we had not met yet. He proceeded to tell me that they found a mass in my colon, along with “many” spots on my liver. He said it was cancer, and we were looking at stage four.

I’m 26 years old at this time. I have a job I just was promoted at that I enjoy. I had been going to the gym religiously and was in the best shape of my life."

Read Kayia Campbell's full blog here: https://www.ihadcancer.com/i-have-what

What are your today?

"I miss my old life." - Selena

"I know what I want, where I want to go and how to get there, but I am in medical debt and just don't have $500, $2000 or $10,000 to invest in my business to do that right now.

Insurance in the US only covers so much of that debt and that also only covers the basics. If you want to get acupuncture, that is extra, if you want to use herbs, that is extra, if you want immunotherapy and holistic and healthy products, yep, extra."

The Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur When Dealing... One of the hardest things about being an entrepreneur with cancer is that other people are farther than you in business because you had to stop and fight instead of moving forward. Life sits at a standstill when fighting. Your body aches. You are sick. You don't feel like doing anything. You want to...

"Before my cancer, my life was really good. I was married, a father to two young daughters, and succeeding in my legal career. Sometimes life was seemingly so good that I would ask my wife, “When is the other shoe going to drop?” And then it did."

Cancer Is A Shoe That Drops Like A Steel-toed Work Boot... I have cancer-related PTSD. I think about my cancer experience a lot., I have cancer-related PTSD. I think about my cancer experience a lot.

"Your friends and family, who are also panic-stricken, genuinely want to help. But in reality, other than listen to you, and be there for you, and cheer you up, there’s nothing they can do to fix your cancer diagnosis. It’s your burden to bear. Still, it’s wonderful to receive their love, reassurance, and empathy. Support and community are strong weapons during a cancer battle."

The Dreaded Feelings Factor: Processing Your Emotions... Acknowledge your feelings and emotions after a cancer diagnosis., Acknowledge your feelings and emotions after a cancer diagnosis.

"Visions of a husband, a house, a dog, a Prius, and a Dyson drifted to the back of my mind and got replaced with newer goals. Simpler goals. Goals like: stay alive. Fight for my life. Don’t let cancer win.

This unexpected, earth-shattering diagnosis threw me into a bizarre reality, one that narrowed my field of vision and bred smaller timelines for smaller objectives."

How Ten Years and Tons of Tumors Transformed My Goals |... Cancer stripped me (and my goals) down to the bare essentials., Much like my taste in food, preferences in clothes, and penchant for reality TV programming, my goals evolved a lot over the years. Once upon a yester-decade, I favored fluorescent yellow pants (hi,’80s), sugary candy ( ...

Meet Michael, an author, motivational speaker, and AYA lymphoma survivor. ❤️

“I received the call. I had hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma, a rare and aggressive cancer that attacks the liver and the spleen. Doctor De Angulo at Nicklaus Children’s told me that my only chance of survival was to do two to six rounds of chemo, and then a bone marrow transplant.

The chemo and radiation I had was more intense than the average cancer treatment. The doctors wanted me to reach remission ASAP, and they did not mess around.”

https://www.ihadcancer.com/michael-cramer-aya-hepatosplenic-t-cell-lymphoma-survivor

"There’s nothing like being told that what you’re feeling is ‘all in your head’. For four years I had experienced strange and uncomfortable symptoms. Most of the time, I didn’t feel like myself, but someone else. I was in the emergency room so many times during those four excruciating years that most of the regular nurses and doctors knew me by name."

I Had Cancer, But My Doctor Said I Had Anxiety And... I was diagnosed with both Hashimotos and papillary thyroid cancer in the left node of my thyroid. My body had been sending me warning signals for four years., I was diagnosed with both Hashimotos and papillary thyroid cancer in the left node of my thyroid. My body had been sending me warning signals...

"I’m ungrateful because everyone always preaches about how lucky I should feel to have this second chance at life. Why? Lucky? I’m not happy. I’ve been struggling for such a long time, and I can’t see what there is to be grateful for right now. I survived cancer, yet this is the life I have to live? Not worth it.

She responded by telling me that she hears this regularly from childhood cancer patients, years after their final cancer treatment. This broke my heart."

https://www.ihadcancer.com/12-years-childhood-cancer-free-annettes-story

As we sat at the dining room table one evening to discuss all of this and come to a decision, I looked in Frank's eyes and then down at the piles of paperwork. Neither one of us said anything. So, I rallied with, "Do you or do you not want to file a lawsuit?" His answer was a simple, "No!" I could understand his decision. I would respect it.

What I Did When I Found Out That My Husband's First... We didn't have time, we didn't want money - we wanted real, tangible change in the hospital system., I've published blogs about my husband’s battle with brain cancer, but I’ve never spoken about his misdiagnosis. It all started with not feeling well, going to three specialists who passed it off ...

For many people, working through cancer treatment and recovery is necessary—for a paycheck, for access to health insurance or other benefits, for their sense of purpose and identity—whatever your unique reasons are here are key tips to help make the experience easier:

10 Key Tips for Working Through Treatment | IHadCancer For many people, working through cancer treatment and recovery is necessary., For many people, working through cancer treatment and recovery is necessary—for a paycheck, for access to health insurance or other benefits, for their sense of purpose and identity—whatever your unique reasons are her...

I have been through several more bouts of cancer than some, less than others. Right now, I am dealing with number six. I was the first person in my area to get the rushed antibody chemo treatment. Aren’t I the lucky one! And guess what? I got to have Neulasta Onpro. OK, I don't have to stick myself? I don't have to come back to the hospital? Good, let's do it.

G.I. Jane's Adventures with Neulasta Onpro | IHadCancer Don't cross this cancer fighter the wrong way - especially when she has her Neulasta Onpro patch., I have been through several more bouts of cancer than some, less than others. Right now, I am dealing with number six. I was the first person in my area to get the rushed antibody chemo treatment. Aren...

When the surgeons removed the tumour, they also severed my facial nerves on the right side of my face leaving me paralysed on that side of my face. That was the just the start of my road to something resembling recovery.

Next came radiotherapy, which caused a complete loss of taste buds, not to mention wearing a horrible mask that pinned me to the table whilst they blasted me with radiation for 10 minutes a day for a couple of months.

Cancer and Facial Palsy Didn't Stop Me From Writing... I promised myself I would make my first original album by the end of the year, but then I was diagnosed with aggressive cancer., I’ve been singing since I was 8 and playing guitar since I was 15. I released two albums of cover versions in 2011 and 2015 respectively and in January 2016 I promised m...

Thankfully, when I received my diagnosis, despite my penchant for positivity, I recognized the importance of allowing myself to feel the fear, despair, worry, sadness and whatever else was coming up around this shocking news. I said to my family, "I am going to be incredibly positive and strong through this experience, but right now I need to allow myself to grieve."

They had no idea how tough things were for me because I... Here is the thing to know: you can be positive and still be authentic about your experience., I was raised by a Dad who is a disciple of positive thinking. He shared his resources with me growing up, and I embraced this philosophy as much as he did. I believe that having a positive outlook, and bein...

First, recognize that the person with cancer is still the same person they were before. They may look different (bald, scrawny, tired, etc.) but they are the same person.

I remember lying in bed curled up in a ball because my stomach hurt so bad and wishing that I could just be normal. Anything you can do to help the patient feel normal is awesome.

https://www.ihadcancer.com/the-importance-of-few-moments-of-normal

At the end of January 2021, I got a call one morning. It was my mom, my dad had a seizure while driving. She was with him and had gone in the ambulance to the hospital. The first hospital completed a round of testing and said “We can’t handle this case here. Something really bad is going on.”

They life-flighted him to another hospital, who did more testing and found lesions on his brain. A bunch of them lit up his scans like a Christmas tree. Their immediate thought was that the lesions looked like metastatic Melanoma.

https://www.ihadcancer.com/my-familys-journey-with-stage-iv-melanoma

I remember how strange it felt to sit down at first with a tennis ball mass in my crotch. I assumed it was a fluke of an injury since I'd fallen running a few days before.

I felt no danger that morning. I felt no sense of impending crisis. With a kind of careless confidence that I am embarrassed to acknowledge, I assumed it would just go away with an easy fix. Call it the folly of youth. Call it naivete. You can even call it stupidity. I never in a million years thought I'd lose a testicle.

I Almost Died Pretending I Didn't Have Cancer |... I used to think cancer was something that happened to the very old and the very cursed. I saw myself as neither., For Valerie Nearly everyone who knows I had cancer asks how I first noticed I was sick. I'll admit that the story makes me squirm. By telling this tale, I'm hoping to relieve at least so...

"Every morning I wake to stand in front of death and stare it down.

While each of us never knows our expiration date, cancer patients know how imminent death really is.

Death is not our friend but we do know it well."

https://www.ihadcancer.com/staring-down-death-daily

People Are Great All The Same

This is an old Irish saying my mother would always tell me. And it's true-- they are. They really are. There’s nothing like cancer to remind you of the essential kindness of people. Accept all offers of dinner, prayers, hugs. They will sustain you through the tougher days and nights ahead.

8 Lessons I'd Share With Someone Just Diagnosed With... And as I approach my cancerversary, what would I tell the woman facing the same journey I’ve just taken?, Next month, it will be one year since I heard the words “It’s breast cancer.” I’m calling it my first cancerversary and see it as a pretty good excuse to eat cake.

"I was having trouble finding the word for suitcase, and asked [my spouse] if he could grab the green and gestured toward the closet. As way of explanation, I said, "You know how the words."

He replied: "I know how the words."

And that's how my chemobrain goes sometimes, especially when I am tired.

Just Your Average Hard-of-Hearing, Chemobrained Amputee... I'm trying to write about my chemobrain, but keep getting distracted. Collecting my thoughts takes more wrangling than it used to., I'm trying to write about my chemobrain, but keep getting distracted. Collecting my thoughts takes more wrangling than it used to.

I'm of two minds. Do I answer truthfully and say, "No" and go into a long explanation of how cancer, chemotherapy, radiation and surgery all plunged me into "surgical and chemical menopause" and as a result I can never have children of my own? Or do I simply say, "No, I don’t" while shaking my head and smiling politely?

Please Don't Ask Me If I Have Any Kids | IHadCancer Cancer can impair a woman's body's fertility- making it difficult to hear the question, \Do you have any kids?\., Cancer can impair a woman's body's fertility- making it difficult to hear the question, \Do you have any kids?\.

I rubbed the left side of my neck and thought about the feel of one scar. I rubbed the right side of my neck, the site of another scar. Then I rubbed my port scar. It's raised a little more because of of the traumatic port removal I had; I'll spare you the details. But it made me realize that feeling my scars is a reminder that I'm still alive.

Embrace Your Scars | Cancer Poem | IHadCancer They're constant reminders how strong I am. How brave I was. How much inspiration others see in me., I was standing in the mirror, looking at myself deeply, and I saw that the person I now look at is different than what he was years ago. I rubbed the left side of my neck and thought about the feel o...

Leah and her dad, both melanoma survivors, share sun safety tips and advice for new melanoma community members.

"Wear sunscreen every day, even on days that you don’t think you need it. Even if you’re indoors, if you work next to a window, you likely still need sunscreen.

What’s the best sunscreen? The one you remember to put on every day, ideally SPF 30 or higher. Find one that works for you and your skin type."

https://www.ihadcancer.com/sun-safety-tips-for-new-melanoma-community-members

It started with taking some baby steps. I first had to accept that I was no longer the same person I used to be, and that it was okay if I was not able to bounce back in a day. I had been through a lot and I needed to acknowledge the changes cancer had brought to my life before I could accept them.

How I Turned My New Normal Into A New Life | IHadCancer I had to find the resources within myself to give a new meaning to my life., When I got diagnosed with cancer in the midst of my 30s, I did not let the news bring me down. Instead, I immediately turned into a brave little soldier and accepted all the treatments that were thrown my way without flinch...

I certainly had plenty of reasons to be grateful: a loving wife of 33 years, two absolutely wonderful daughters, and what many would consider a highly respected career.
And while I frequently did acknowledge how “lucky” I was, I don’t think that I felt the strong sense of gratitude that I now experience daily, now that I am nine months in remission from cancer.

There Is So Much To Be Grateful For, Even After Cancer... Here’s the thing about gratitude: it can be easy to experience. Happiness, on the other hand, can be hard to call up every day., I was driving home from my job as a hospice volunteer last night, when that feeling washed over me again. When it emerges, the feeling wraps itself around me like a war...