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.

Each month we've been spotlighting a member of Congress who supports legislation and initiatives that make a difference in the lives of people impacted by cancer. This month, we recognize Rep. Tom Cole of the 4th Congressional District of Oklahoma.

"My cancer is real. I can deal with real," shares Terry, a laryngeal cancer survivor, in the next edition of our Survivorship series. In this Q&A, Terry discusses initial challenges with his laryngectomy surgery, ways he provides support to others with head and neck cancer, and the many passions that bring him joy.

Meet Alyssa, a 2-time pediatric cancer survivor who was diagnosed with leukemia at age 3. She experienced a relapse at age 9, and now in her early 30s, she shares her experiences with late effects of her cancer treatments. Of her cancer journey, she says, “It doesn’t define who I am, but it has made me who I am.” Read on to learn more about Alyssa.

Liz Hiles spent months trying to get answers from medical providers about her unexplained urinary pain. When she was finally diagnosed with bladder cancer, surgery results revealed she had stage 3B cancer. Read on to learn more about Liz’s survivorship story and her work to dispel stereotypes around bladder cancer.

Our survivorship series continues with a Q&A with Evelina, a breast cancer survivor who has been sharing her experience — both the gifts and the challenges — with others. “One of the toughest challenges I faced throughout my journey was losing my father right in the midst of treatment,” she says. Read on to learn more about Evelina’s story.

“As deep as my pain goes, so does my gratitude," reflects Amber, a breast cancer survivor. Gain insight and inspiration from Amber's story.

In our special blog series on cancer survivorship, we get to know Marcia Donziger, whose journey as a stage 3 ovarian cancer survivor inspired her to create an online community for others impacted by cancer. "Don’t do cancer alone," she says. "Advocating for others — and just being there as a friend who listens — are my ways of coping and moving forward." Keep reading to learn more about Marcia's story.

To mark Pride Month, we talk with cancer survivor and patient advocate Tony Burns. In this Q&A, we learn about the native Washingtonian’s personal experience with cancer. Tony also talks with us about health inequities in the LGBTQ community and shares ways we can work to overcome them.

National Cancer Survivors Day is a time to recognize cancer survivors, inspire those who have recently been diagnosed, and raise awareness about the challenges of survivorship. We’ve gathered 3 top tips for navigating survivorship along with words of inspiration from cancer survivors.