Survivorship Series

Dan was an Olympic-level athlete and active in triathlons, road races, and half marathons. His doctor once said to him, “You’re the healthiest guy I know.” Here's what helped Dan cope after a lymphoma diagnosis.

Tony, a longtime community advocate and activist, shares insights on the importance of self-advocacy as a patient and facing – and defeating – stigma.

Just a few months after giving birth to her first child, Tamron learned she had peritoneal mesothelioma. Tamron’s love for her infant son gave her hope. Read her story.

After being diagnosed with a rare thyroid cancer, Katie went through a period of shock and despair. Learn how she coped and why she launched a podcast to talk about her experience.

“August, you get me every time. It’s that time of year…when my trauma triggers fire nonstop.” In the final installment of her blog series, Amber Havekost reflects on the difficult August, 5 years ago, when an advanced-stage cancer diagnosis changed her life. “Anniversary dates are complex,” she writes. “Some are amazing but now also tainted by pain. Some we wish to forget but then, if we do, what else would have to be forgotten?”

“Grief isn’t shameful and it isn’t cause for panic. It isn’t taboo, it isn’t unnecessary, it isn’t weak, and it isn’t wrong or dangerous. Rather, to grieve is to be authentic. To grieve is to be honest. To grieve is to be grateful. And to grieve is to be human.” In the latest installment of her 5-part blog series, Amber Havekost continues to trace her cancer journey, honoring both her losses and her gains along the way.

“Survivorship is in the whole cancer experience. It’s getting up and going to the next appointment, whether it’s appointment No. 2 or No. 282. It’s treatment. It’s surgeries. It’s putting one foot in front of the other even when the direction you’re going is unknown.” Amber Havekost reflects on the meaning of survivorship and the ways it has touched every step of her journey with cancer.

In part 2 of a 5-part series that traces her cancer journey, blog writer Amber Havekost unpacks the word cancer, stripping the term of its vague meanings and abstractions and laying bare the difficult, sometimes painful realities it has unleashed in her own life. In the process, Amber also reflects on what she has gained because of it all.

Paul, a 3-time cancer thriver, has been walking a lot ― 6.7 miles a day, on average, to be exact. And the 71-year-old has no intention of slowing down. His goal is to walk 1,500 miles this year, and he hopes to far exceed that. Keep reading to find out why.

When Amber Havekost learned she had breast cancer, her world turned upside down. “Time stopped,” she writes. “The picture of my life in my head suddenly turned blurry and void of color, now with the word ‘cancer’ in bright red, etched onto my mind’s eye.” Read on to learn more about Amber’s story and how she confronted the enormity of 3 words, “I have cancer,” with the belief that hope can permeate hardship.