Cancer Stories From Patients, Survivors, Caregivers | Human Answers to Your Cancer Questions

Human Answers to Your Cancer Questions

Get a sense of what to expect from patients and caregivers who’ve been through cancer treatment.

FAQs curated by cancer survivors

Diagnosis
- How did you get diagnosed?
- How did you choose hospitals?
Treatment
- How did you choose your treatment?
- Describe each cycle of chemotherapy
- What was Week One of chemo like?
- How did the rest of each cycle go?
- How did you deal with chemo?

Timelines by patients who’ve finished treatments

Patient Stories

Start by choosing the stories here organized by cancer origin:

The Caregiver Perspective

What should I be asking the doctor?
How do I support my partner through treatment?
How do we pay for this?
What are the different kinds of cancer treatment?

Navigating Cancer Articles

How can I deal with treatment side effects?
What’s the best way to prepare for hair loss?
Can we get pregnant after chemotherapy?
How can I ask others for support?

Featured Patient Stories

Cheyann Shaw, Ovarian Cancer

On Getting Diagnosed

“It’s a cancer diagnosis but it doesn’t take up enough space that it takes away who you are as a person.”

Tylere Presley, Hodgkin Lymphoma

On Being Kind to Yourself

“I’d say, ‘You’re not going to get anything done today. That’s okay.’”

Maui Bigelow, Smoldering Myeloma

On Accepting Support

“You need to not be afraid to lean on the people that love you.”

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thepatientstory

"I had a really early morning appointment. I remem

"I had a really early morning appointment. I remember waking up and it was still dark outside, cold. Even when I went to check in before I got to my hospital room, I couldn’t even stand up for more than a couple seconds. I had to hold my mom’s hand and arm, and walk. When you’re admitted, they take a photo of you. I had my hat on. I had my glasses on. They took a photo and I still have that photo, it’s in my records. I look dead. That’s exactly how I felt. ⁣
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I just walked to the room. I saw a bag on my bed and I was like oh, it looks like a goody bag...from the hospital. But the nurses said it was from a former patient.⁣
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I looked into the bag. It was so special to me. I opened it and there was a note from a former patient who was in that unit a year prior. It said, ‘Hey, we’re wishing you the best. I’m doing well now a year later.’ ⁣
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There’s a gift card, blankets, tooth paste, all these goodies. Honestly, it didn’t even matter what was inside at that point. That note was more than enough. It was what I needed. It was everything to me at that point. I latched onto it. It gave me the hope and motivation to keep going. That gave me so much motivation and inspiration." -Sonia Su, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Thriver ⁣
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One of the most beautiful things that can come out of something traumatic, like a cancer diagnosis, is finding a new purpose in life (how The Patient Story was born). That's what happened with Sonia, who underwent three lines of treatment for her NHL and is now in remission after her successful CAR T-cell therapy. That care package that sat on her bed when she felt her absolute lowest lifted her spirits so much, she decided to pay it forward. 💓⁣
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She's done it in spades. 🎁 Sonia started @kitstoheart, which sends care packages to cancer patients. Such an amazing cause. You can read about it in Sonia's full story on our website (link → bio!) 🙏 Thank you, Sonia, for bringing light into this world after being touched, yourself. We live for #patientshelpingpatients. It's clearly way more than a hashtag in our cancer community. ⁣
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#payitforward #actsofkindness #inthistogether #community#cancersurvivor #cancerthriver #nonhodgkinslymphoma #thepatientstor

"What is critical is self-advocacy. There are too

"What is critical is self-advocacy. There are too many stories I know where things could have gone differently had people felt they could advocate for themselves.⁣
It is hard. It’s hard to stand up to someone in the medical community and in a position of power, but I kept in mind that they’re human. They make mistakes and they are working for you, in a way.⁣
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You have to do the amount of learning that you can tolerate without it hurting you in a negative way. The self-advocacy, whether it’s you or a caregiver, there’s got to be someone in any way possible, pushing the envelope for answers. " -Shelley Brown, Colon Cancer Thriver and Superwoman 🦸🏻‍♀️⁣
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We hear often about wanting to be "a good patient." For some, that means simply listening to the medical team and following every recommendation. For others, it means what Shelley did. After getting diagnosed with stage 3B colon cancer, this wife and mother decided the way she could take more control of her treatment was to research and ask a lot of questions. Her full, in-depth story is ➡️ link in bio. ⁣
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There really is no right or wrong answer here, just what feels right (and wrong) to each patient and each caregiver, but what's clear is we hear the message of self-advocacy in almost every interview. We are so grateful for the people in our TPS community, people like Shelley, who have shared their stories to personal, sometimes very intimate, detail. We hope you find some answers and/or comfort in their words. ❤️❤️❤️⁣
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#patientshelpingpatients #colorectal #cancer #colorectalcancer #coloncancer #cancerthriver #yourenotalone #selfadvocacy #superwoman #thepatientstory

"I would tell anyone dealing with a diagnosis to d

"I would tell anyone dealing with a diagnosis to decide, yourself, what is the best plan for you: How you want to receive information, how you want to lose your hair, how you want treatment to go, whom do you want to be a part of this? It’s all your choice.⁣
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You don’t have to do what everybody else is doing. We have those caretakers around us. Although they feel they are going through it with you, they are not going through it. It isn’t happening to them. That’s something that not only you have to remember, but they have to remember.⁣
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I don’t want to downplay their role at all, because I would never be able to repay my caretakers for all that they gave up in order to make sure I was okay.⁣
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It is going to feel like you are going through the worst possible thing ever, but if you can put one foot in front of the other, you will get to that finish line, whatever it is. Then you take the next steps. You take each step at a time and once you get a plan in place, things start to seem a whole lot easier because you figure out what to do. You focus on that." -Randalynn Vasel, Ovarian Cancer Thriver⁣
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🙋‍♀️ You've probably seen Randalynn's face around! She became a passionate patient advocate after her own ovarian cancer treatment. We're so thrilled to have her powerful voice on our team and her story on our platform (link in bio!) to help the thousands who check out our site for human answers to their cancer questions. Thank you, Randalynn, for all you do ⭐️ ⁣
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#patientshelpingpatients #thriver #fightlikeagirl #ovariancancer #ovariancancerawareness #patient #advocate #thepatientstory

"As part of my keeping-a-good-attitude plan, I dan

"As part of my keeping-a-good-attitude plan, I dance from time to time during my infusion. Music is magic, and I can still enjoy my day. This is Chemo round #2.” - Tina Trepanowski, 3-time thriver, current metastatic warrior⁣
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We need more of this beautiful energy in the world - thank you for sharing your awesome dance with us, Tina 💃✨💓. New goal: making time to dance at least once, every day.⁣ PS: Tina’s best move comes on at the end 😉.
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#dance #dancer #goodvibes #inspiration #thriver #cancerwarrior #moveyourbody #patients #patientshelpingpatients #thepatientstory

“I learned a lot about what people who face ment

“I learned a lot about what people who face mental illness go through when I finished treatment because I was told I was in remission, and it’s like your life is on a silver platter and you have no idea how to take it.⁣⁣
Your hands have been tied behind your back for such a long time. Now somebody’s cut the rope, you don’t actually realize you have the ability to move them.⁣⁣
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That’s how being in remission felt for me. I was happy but I didn’t know what I was happy about. You don’t know what to do next. I’d been doing all these things - is coloring in a book now not doing much for me? What am I supposed to do now? ⁣⁣
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A lot of people do think you’re okay afterwards. I don’t think it’s their fault, necessarily, but once you can’t see the bag of chemicals, you can’t see the cause of your distress or the trauma that’s left with you.⁣⁣
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That’s why I made the comment about learning what people with mental illness go through, because you can’t see inside, and that’s the difference." -Ava O'Toole, Hodgkin lymphoma thriver⁣⁣
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Yes, survivorship is one goal. We’re lucky to get there. Survivorship isn’t simple, though. It is a tricky, often tough adjustment period. You're expected to be grateful and move on, but the funny thing about humans is we don't really work like that. This is why we're so grateful when people like Ava speak up about the real experiences and emotions she felt 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 getting through her Hodgkin stage 4B diagnosis and treatment. ⁣⁣
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It's the candid voices from all of our TPS family that can help one another in whatever stage we're going through. If you feel the same, drop a note below 👇. And check our link in bio for Ava's incredible story 🙏. ⁣⁣
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#survivor #survivorship #thriver #cancer #hodgkinlymphoma #lymphoma #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #inthistogether #patientshelpingpatients #thepatientstory

“Give yourself time to heal. Give yourself time

“Give yourself time to heal. Give yourself time to feel scared and sorry for yourself, but then you have to choose life.“⁣
-Erin Cronican, Breast Cancer Thriver⁣
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Straightforward and to the point, and the words we all need to hear. Take the time to process and get through it, and then it’s time to fight! YOU👏🏼CAN👏🏼DO👏🏼IT!!!!!⁣
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In honor of breast cancer awareness month, we are featuring stories to help educate and send positivity to all. Click on the link in our bio to learn more🤩⁣
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#breastcancer #breastcancerawareness #breastcancerawarenessmonth #bca #bcamonth #chooselife #fight #thepatientstory

“I just assumed that that diagnosis meant the en

“I just assumed that that diagnosis meant the end of life as I knew it and I’m here to tell you that it does not, and it did not.⁣
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Cancer is no longer the death sentence I used to think it was growing up or what I feared it might be.⁣
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For any woman watching this and has been diagnosed with breast cancer you particularly need to know that there has been so much research and so much medical progression in our type of cancer that you are already on a winning team.⁣
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And because my mother had died of breast cancer 17 years ago and my aunt struggled with it, I assumed my struggle was going to be the same but no. It’s come a long way and it is by no means, it wasn’t going to kill me.⁣
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The minute I accepted it wasn’t going to kill me, I was like right, I just want to get this dealt with so I can move on and enjoy my life. That’s what I wish I had known because I spent a lot of time freaking out.”⁣
-Genoa Martell, Breast Cancer Thriver💖⁣
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Each day, researchers are working hard to help with understanding breast cancer - how to fight it and beat it. Have hope and positivity to help you get through it. 🙏🏼✨ Genoa - we appreciate you sharing this with us!!⁣
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To learn more about breast cancer, you know where to go! The link in our bio 🙃⁣
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#breastcancer #breastcancerawareness #breastcancerawarenessmonth #positivity #research #thepatientstory

“On my first day of chemo, my friend called me a

“On my first day of chemo, my friend called me and said she wanted to wish me congratulations.⁣
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I was like, ‘For what?’ She said, ‘You’re taking your first step on the road to recovery.’ I loved that.⁣
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Breathe and know you’re on your road to recovery.”⁣
-Joy Rodgers, Breast Cancer Thriver⁣
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Such a positive way to think about undergoing a diagnosis and treatment - the first step to recovery! We love this and hope that more of us can view the journey this way. Thank you for sharing this Joy! ⁣
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To learn more about Joy and her breast cancer journey, you gotta go to the link in our bio! It is breast cancer awareness month, so can’t hurt to learn more, right? 🤩⁣
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#breastcancer #breastcancerawareness #breastcancerawarenessmonth #recovery #roadtorecovery #positivity #thepatientstory

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NOTE: Information on the site is not medical advice. It’s shared by our cancer community members.