…Cancer allowed me time to feel into what was calling me and to follow that voice! This was almost eleven years ago, now, and my life is more than I ever expected it would be…
Recent Survivor Stories
Survivor Stories
Menter, Sandra... Breast cancer
…Through the baldness, the tears, the fears, the countless surgeries and therapies that seemingly took my body from me, the nausea, the weight gain, the mind loss, the continual drives to cancer centers and the non-stop (and abundant) loss of mental health, they expected and counted on me to be Mom and Wife. Their simple and quiet message was, “We expect you to be here.” It was an important message…and so I am…
Furth, Betsy... Breast cancer
…Although I wish I had never had cancer, I feel that perhaps being the first in my family to go through it had a purpose after all. Although my dad finally passed away last summer from a different cancer, we were able to talk about it together as only people who’ve shared a common experience can. My sister and I are still healthy and our mutual experience with this disease has deepened and enriched our lives…
Bergeron, Mary... Breast cancer
…Though I was assured by doctors “it was nothing,” I INSISTED on a biopsy on this lump which did NOT show up on mammogram, NOR on ultrasound. I also insisted on receiving only local anesthetic during the needle biopsy, to be sure of guiding the surgeon to the correct spot (which was painful). Even during the procedure he turned to the intern and said, “it’s nothing, just as we suspected.” Oh, how I wish that were true; instead, days later, I received the diagnosis of Stage 2 Breast Cancer…
Markalunas, Julie... Breast cancer
…Intensity and desperation were there as well. Now, I knew what I had to live for and what I could lose. There was faith and hope and there still is…
Gurchick, Anne... Breast cancer
…I had never heard of a form of breast cancer that is “mammogram negative,” meaning it does not show up on mammograms. I discovered that the importance of self-exams cannot be overstated…
Patrick, Sean... here with Diane Heald
…I think her powerful spirit was ready for more space and her body couldn’t contain that anymore. I think now there is freedom, flight, possibilities and peace. Sean was able to instill in all of us a sense of our own unique strength. Gifted vertical dancer, dear friend…
Sanford, Steve... Acute Lymphosetic Leukemia
…We decided to do something different for Thanksgiving, so my wife Donna, our two sons Justin and Cody and I flew out for ten days of fun in the sun. Just relaxing on the beach, or by the pool, no agendas, no big plans. Donna likes to refer to it as the calm before the storm, and I believe that’s exactly what God blessed us with…
Sparhawk, Sally... Breast cancer
… As much as you are comfortable, tell friends and family and even acquaintances what is happening…Trust your own instincts, get a second opinion and give yourself time to make decisions… Join a support group and let others support you…
Cantrell, Lynne... Breast cancer
…When I could still feel the lump a week later, I went to my OB. He said it was probably a cyst and to come back in two weeks. It was still there. I went straight to the oncologist. I knew it was bad news when he came back in the exam room with his nurse. Shock, disbelief and terror swept over me…
Martin, Lee... Breast cancer
…SILENCE, complete silence.,,,,they’re still talking but you hear NOTHING…….your hearing pretty much stops instantly after the word “carcinoma” is said. Because, don’t we all know….carcinoma = death?…
Ditzler, Jinny... Breast cancer
…The day after my biopsy in Denver, I was busying myself around home but completely preoccupied with waiting for the call. When it came and I heard the news, life changed instantly. I had cancer – the feared yet impossible had happened! My breath was knocked out of me…
Smith, Nancy... Endometrial cancer
…During my 3 days in the hospital, the only roommate I had was a very down-to-earth woman who’d survived breast cancer and was in to have her other breast removed, because “she was tired of being lopsided”. Neither of us had any feelings of being “less of a woman” because of missing some body parts…
Reinisch, Nancy... Breast cancer
…Together we made it through a complicated year of ups and downs. I remain to this day optimistic and confident that I have done all I could, with all I have, to put cancer out of my body and mind. I remain humbled by the outpouring of support from my family, friends, and community. I thank all of you who stood by my side. Without you I would not have survived the year nor be here to share this journal…
Johnson, Jan... Breast cancer
…The blessing that cancer bestowed on all of us was that we were made painfully aware of the fact that life is short and unpredictable…
Tillung, Alisa... Lymphoma
…Some say faith is a gift we have to remind us there is a God. I believe you cannot really have faith, until at one point, your concept of faith is truly tested. Then, at that particular moment, God steps in and faith steps up. Any faith without a test, is just merely coincidence…
Silverman, Jack... Thyroid, Prostate & Skin cancer
…By this time my soul and being were encased in titanium and the thought of never leaving the hospital was forced to the bottom of my consciousness. I turned the pages to the twenty-third Psalm. I couldn’t see the words because tears from the previous readers had washed the ink away…
L-Sprick, Nova... Anal cancer
…I now understand that we don’t know everyone’s story, that the struggle to be human is a great undertaking.
Nesbit, Bland... Colon cancer
…I will never forget how I felt that day. I can recall the fear I felt then as if it happened this morning. I just kept thinking–this can’t be happening to me, this can’t be real but it was…
Sarpa, Jan Jones... Breast cancer
“Now that I know that I am going to live, what is the highest and best use of myself?” Lance Armstrong
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