Survivorship

Struggling to manage your healthcare online? The Patient Empowerment Network has a free program to teach you the basics of digital technology.

Receiving a diagnosis of stage IIIB diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma at age 26 at the start of COVID-19 meant that Steffi Ilagan had to sideline a lot of her plans. Her story illuminates the meaning of “T-W-I-C-E” when facing cancer.

For young adults facing a cancer diagnosis, consideration of fertility preservation is an important component of the treatment plan.

Cancer is hard enough. Add a global pandemic to the mix, and everything becomes more challenging, and everyone more lonely, as Heather Barto learned after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020.

A whirlwind of stress was mounting in Dawn Coyle’s personal life even before she received her breast cancer diagnosis in 2021. Then, she had to take on cancer largely alone in a post-pandemic world while working full time and being there for her aging parents.

Joe Bullock finally heard the 3 little letters he’d been waiting to hear since his colorectal cancer diagnosis: NED. But he wasn’t expecting the uncertainty that shortly followed, feeling stuck in the in-between phase “after cancer.”

Tricia Tennesen, whose father passed away from colon cancer at age 60, describes her mindset in dealing with her stage IIA breast cancer diagnosis as she manages the tricky balance of anxiety, hopes, and dreams.

Today, we even use the Internet as a stand-in for doctors and medical advice. Dr. Forrestal provides surefire advice on how to know when sources are trustworthy, and how to spot misleading claims, scams, and false information.

Alcohol doesn’t have the stigma that cigarettes do regarding the carcinogenic effects of drinking, but the link between alcohol and cancer is something people need to become more aware of.

Rita Schunk is still knitting prayer shawls almost 10 years after her breast cancer diagnosis, giving comfort to other people through an act that puts her physical energy to use and mind at ease.