Essays

Gina Stratton was inspired by her granddad, who had advanced-stage lung cancer. She talks about her dealing with her breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 40 while having a full-time job. Read More ›

Laurie Adami chronicles her long fight with follicular lymphoma, including her run-in with 6 types of therapies. After losing all hope, she finally achieved complete remission with a new immunotherapy called CAR T-cell therapy, and then turned her sights on climbing Mt. Everest to raise money for cancer research. Read More ›

Teenagers often feel they are immune from cancer, says Ellen Chun, who was diagnosed with a rare brain cancer at age 18. Before her diagnosis she had many unexplained symptoms. Through cancer she learned to advocate for herself, an experience she shares to guide other young people facing cancer. Read More ›

With a demanding career and 3 small children, Pam Neff had to make some difficult decisions during her treatment for an aggressive blood cancer. Read More ›

Douglas Herman describes the touching moments at his mom’s bedside before she succumbed to bone cancer, and his subsequent journey from distressing thoughts to 40 years of endurance before he received a diagnosis of stage IV prostate cancer. Read More ›

Rex Jones found a unique way to keep his mood upbeat and spread good vibes to others during his chemotherapy for lymphoma. Read More ›

Lynch syndrome is a hereditary genetic abnormality that can cause several types of cancer. Wenora Johnson discovered that it ran in her family after she had treatment for colon cancer. Knowing that she was at a high risk for certain cancers, and having 2 children already, she had her ovaries and uterus removed, as prevention. Read More ›

Sheree Williams, PhD, is a health scientist with the CDC, but her background in public health did not prepare her for the unique challenges she faced as a black woman diagnosed with breast cancer, highlighting the social determinants of health. Read More ›

For Charlie Rogers, cancer turned out to be a gift of sorts. In addition to forcing him to slow down, it also changed his perspective on life, encouraging him to cherish small victories. Read More ›

Stacey Roselle looked for the “silver linings” when a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma brought her face-to-face with unexpected reactions to her illness. Read More ›