Living with Hope: Inspirational Stories from Childhood Cancer Survivors: Read inspiring stories from childhood cancer survivors who have overcome challenges and thrived, offering hope and motivation to others on similar journeys.

Every cancer survivor’s story is different. Some children may not remember their illness even if they are diagnosed at a young age. The other childhood cancer survivors were in their teens or 20s. Cancer had a huge impact on their lives. 

There are more than 500,000 childhood cancer survivors in the United States. Childhood cancer survivors often have unique challenges because of the treatment they receive. Knowing their stories can help fellow cancer survivors deal with similar issues. 

Every cancer survivor’s story is different, but he has one thing in common. That means we are all cancer survivors. Read their inspiring stories here. Cancer doesn’t have to be the end. Cancer can be the beginning of something new. Imagine finding out just a few months after giving birth to your second baby that you have cancer. I knew the world was falling apart around me. But my friend Monica wasn’t like that. She was 32 years old when she was diagnosed with this deadly disease. 

Although she had barely recovered after her birth, she would occasionally have small amounts of blood in her urine (which she thought was due to pregnancy) and she would frequently experience worsening symptoms. I noticed. She became worried and consulted her doctor, who found out she had bladder cancer, confirming her worst fears. 

Devastated by the news of her death, she realized that she didn’t want to die so early because she had little time to spend with her young children. But once she got over her initial shock, her thoughts turned inward. She focused on herself, her own consciousness, for the first time in years. All her life she was busy worrying about other people, past situations, future plans, etc., but her diagnosis forced her to focus on the present. A new consciousness arose within her. And she discovered that the cause of her cancer was the various roles she had held. She has suppressed herself to the point that her only purpose is to please others and perfect the various roles given to her by her society (wife, daughter). did. She was doing it.

She says in her own words: It was as if I had to avoid this now. I had to recognize my shadow and own them like my own children without judging them for who they are according to social conventions or definitions. Jealousy, hatred, anger, anxiety, restlessness and all their opposites appeared in me at the same time. The great thing is that you no longer have to hide from them, protect yourself from them, ignore them, ignore them. I had no choice but to accept them all together.

Alongside her two surgeries, Monica began therapy, a process of healing herself. For her, cancer was a new beginning. It forces her to face her own “impermanence” and the reality that she is not indispensable. That means her life and her children will continue without her. I also remembered. This freed her from the demands and expectations of those who were burdening her. She believes cancer was a cheap deal to learn the meaning of life. “I realized that the life I had been living was a dead life, and instead of rushing somewhere, I started taking one step at a time and cherishing each day. If you have to do it, it has to be now, or there will never be joy.And even in these seemingly dire circumstances, we all…I have free will. It has given me access to joy.”

Living in the moment is now or never. 

Just like Monica, Dr. Mitra’s mantra is the same. When she was watching a stand-up comedy show with her family, she felt embarrassed when artist Aditi Mittal talked about buying bras and her breasts. But when Aditi ended her show with the punchline, “This is about breast cancer awareness. She shouldn’t wait to be bullied or told off,” she paused.

This led her to do some research on herself. And sure enough, there was a large, hard lump under her left breast. This is how life changes. within minutes. A few minutes ago she was smiling, but now she’s scared. However, her doctor confirmed her own feelings and she underwent her test the next morning. Once her diagnosis was confirmed, her doctor and her husband immediately gave her the appropriate treatment.

What happened next wasn’t easy. It was a tough time and she needed all the mental and physical strength she could muster. She decided early on that she would not be called a victim or a survivor, but a victor. She did not want pity from others. She was determined to be happy and make others happy. She endured severe debilitating chemotherapy that left her almost lifeless for days, but as soon as she regained her strength, she invited all her friends and relatives to her home to talk. 

Hair loss is another devastating side effect of chemotherapy, especially for women. Perhaps the lowest point in this fight was the day her husband cut off all her remaining hair, but that only strengthened her resolve. She got a mehendi tattoo on her head and proudly shared her own photo on social media. After all, it’s the love you remember. Remember the panic when the lockdown was announced in March last year and we were all stuck at home? But for my friend Gopika, something different was in store for me in my life. She is a pediatric dentist, but after the lockdown was announced she had to close her clinic. The gynecologist happened to be there at the time, so she decided on an impulse to show him the small lump that had appeared just below her collarbone a few weeks earlier. 

Her gynecologist advised her to be cautious and suggested she get a mammogram anyway. She’s usually a cheerful girl, but when she entered the nearly empty hospital, she felt an eerie feeling. The good thing about her was that there was no line and the tests were quick, except that she was advised to have an ultrasound and an MRI. Then someone recommended she see an oncological surgeon. Things happened so quickly that she and her family had little time to think, but they understood the gravity of the situation and immediately began chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy without waiting for the lockdown to end. It started. I started treatment. I decided to start the treatment procedure. 

It wasn’t easy to break the news to my family, my daughter and son, ages 14 and 8, and my parents. How do you share a diagnosis like this? Gopika and Arun decide to leave it alone. They sat the children down and explained the disease, treatment, and consequences. At first, the children couldn’t believe it and were shocked, but as they understood and got involved, their fear disappeared before they knew it. The news was even more shocking for the parents, none of whom expected their child to become seriously ill. However, Gopika again reassured them that breast cancer is a known devil and with medical advances, the recovery rate is very high. The fact-based approach helped and prepared everyone for the battle over the coming weeks and months.

This has not been an easy journey for any woman. Each of them has been through their own hell: pain, illness, fear, anxiety, and sometimes identity crises. But rather than give up, each of them chose to tackle cancer head-on. They all find a new perspective on life and are determined to live it to the fullest. 

We also learned that cancer is probably not something to be afraid of because with advances in medicine, the cure rate for cancer is much higher and people can return to their normal lives. However, early detection is important. We need to be more connected to our bodies and aware of the small changes that may be occurring within them. Therefore, it is important to have regular health check-ups to check for lumps (even in men), skin spots, changes in the body, and to keep an eye out for changes such as changes in the intestines or rapid weight loss. In her late 40s, my mother noticed slight changes in her menstrual cycles. She may have blamed it on menopause, but she went to the doctor right away. There she discovered that she had very early-onset cancer. I think our lives could have been very different if she hadn’t done that. Similarly, when her iron levels recently dropped, her cousin advised her to have an endoscopy to check for any unnoticed blood loss, an early sign of colon cancer. 

Despite medical advances, the fight against cancer is not over yet. We can all play our part. “Our country faces many challenges, including cancer awareness, misinformation, stigma, mistrust, and lack of adequate facilities in surrounding areas where many of the patients are concentrated,” Ashima said. , due to insufficient resources, poorly informed patients who have tried everything before coming to medical school, and lack of timely availability of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and advanced surgical facilities. is.

Continue to spread awareness, take care of yourself, and continue to show empathy to others who have been diagnosed. Please spread the love.

Reference 

Author: MedBlog18 Blog Team

Views: 91