Essays

“The first thing I said was, there’s no way. I consider myself the healthiest person I know. There’s nothing that I did that could have caused cancer,” Rachelle said. “I was just in complete shock.” Read More ›

At age 28, Thomas Iorio went into the hospital with a possible ear infection, after noticing swollen lymph nodes, and came out with a probable cancer diagnosis. Read More ›

Roger and Cherie Paige, both psychologists, became caught in a storm of fighting against cancer, with the assistance of family, friends, and numerous professional “stormtroopers.” Read More ›

"What I remember clearly is that I was supposed to have only 14 to 18 months to live. That was about 6 years ago," says Melanie Kabo. Read More ›

Jason Micheli, a pastor and the author of Cancer is Funny: Keeping Faith in Stage-Serious Chemo, explains his mindset and the difficulties of dealing with uncertainty after a lymphoma diagnosis. Read More ›

“As the CEO of a biotechnology company involved in cancer drugs development, I was familiar with the diagnosis and treatment of patients with cancer,” says Michael Becker, who was himself diagnosed with stage IV oropharyngeal cancer. Read More ›

Lori Plutchak is part of a unique kind of cancer support group: the Team Survivor San Diego Sea Dragons boat racing team, which is made up of nearly 40 cancer survivors. Read More ›

Donna Avery describes her stage III esophageal cancer diagnosis and the path that led her to regain her ability to do something that brings her joy: whistling. Read More ›

Lisa D’Ottavio, who has no family history of breast cancer, recounts her journey with breast cancer, which began with a phone call from her breast surgeon. Read More ›

After a slew of seizures, misdiagnoses, and unanswered questions, Mouhamad Beydoun found out that, at the ripe age of 24, he had cancer covering his entire brain. Read More ›