Discover inspiration in this breast cancer survivorship story by Lyn, who reflects on the treatment choices she made as a young wife and mother 36 years ago.

“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.

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.

Nancy Sharp concludes her Resilience series with a poignant reflection on what it means to lead a more resilient, optimistic life after losing a loved one to cancer.

Nancy's husband died of brain cancer when her children were just 2 years old. Read more about her experience and her insights on the humanity of medicine today during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I dare say I’m not the only one feeling fragile during these long months grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s like I’ve lost a layer of skin. And now, just as students like my daughter have returned to the classroom and college campus, cases are rising. How long will the pandemic continue to pose a threat to our health and way of life? Will things ever be “normal” again? The answers seem more and more unclear. Still, life persists. Babies are born. Lovers marry. Too many good people die from cancer.