Making Cancer Less Scary, One Story at a Time

In this post, collected through our story portal, Jessica addresses the silence she experienced around her while facing stage 4 cancer. It was lonely and isolating. So, here’s what she did.

Jessica's Story

I am a stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma survivor. This August marks a milestone. I will have been in remission for 10 years.

Before I was diagnosed, there were so many things I wish I had known. I wish I had known I wasn’t alone. I wish I had known that other people my age were going through the same thing.  I also wish I had known what treatment would really be like. Not just the medical side, but the side effects, the emotional toll, and how much it can change your everyday life. 

Those are the things no one really prepares you for, and they can feel overwhelming when you’re already scared. 

I was diagnosed in 2016, when cancer wasn’t talked about as openly as it is now. People kept it quiet, and a lot of the hard parts were hidden. That lack of openness about cancer is what pushed me to start sharing my story. I created a blog and eventually wrote a book because I didn’t want anyone else to feel as alone as I did. If someone could read my words and recognize themselves in them, then maybe their experience would feel a little less scary and a little less lonely.

The biggest stressor for me was watching everyone else’s life keep moving forward while mine felt completely frozen. The world didn’t stop, but mine did. 

I was at an age where the people around me were getting married, building careers, and starting families, while I was focused on staying alive. That disconnect was incredibly heavy. It felt like I had been pushed off the normal timeline of life, and I didn’t know if or when I would ever be able to step back into it. Every day was about getting through treatment and making it to the next day. That became my entire focus.

I discovered Cancer Support Community while searching for support and resources after my diagnosis. Going through cancer can feel incredibly isolating, and organizations like CSC remind patients and survivors like me that we don’t have to face it alone. Knowing there is a community that understands what you’re going through is incredibly meaningful.

Writing was also helpful for me. It became my lifeline. It was the one place where I could put everything I was feeling without having to explain it or soften it for anyone else. When I couldn’t control what was happening to my body or my future, writing gave me something I could hold onto. It helped me survive in ways treatment alone couldn’t.

After treatment, my perspective on life changed completely. Surviving cancer made me deeply aware of how fragile and short life really is. I no longer take time for granted in the same way I once did. I learned that waiting for the “right time” isn’t promised, and neither is tomorrow.

One of the most meaningful changes for me was starting an organization that creates comfort care packages for people who are facing cancer and other medical challenges. Creating something that allows me to give back to people going through treatment helped turn a painful experience into something purposeful. It gave me a way to support patients in the way I once needed support myself.

Cancer also gave me permission to live more honestly. 

I take the trip. I say yes to what matters and no to what doesn’t. I make choices based on what feels meaningful instead of what I think I’m supposed to do. 

Going through treatment stripped away the illusion that there will always be more time. It taught me how important it is to live the life in front of me now.