I did not title this blog "National Cancer Survivors Day" for one reason. Cancer is an international disease. How it is treated, the access to care, the stories of cancer survivors are global. We should celebrate every cancer survivor around the world, every day. I am glad there is one day set aside to honor us and bring awareness to what being a cancer survivor is. I salute all of us this year on Cancer Survivors Day 2023.
Living "With a History of Cancer"
Many are confused by the word 'survivor', but I feel this is a well-defined statement. There is a website dedicated to Cancer Survivors Day. This is the statement from their website.
According to the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation, administrator for the celebration, "A 'survivor' is anyone living with a history of cancer – from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life."
National Cancer Survivors Day
With so many different types of cancer we represent quite a large part of society. Survivorship looks so different to people who are living with a history of cancer. Many are still working in the cancer community space while others have put the treatment, surgery, and diagnosis in the rear-view mirror. Each of us, no matter where we are in our survivorship, are affected by this disease both physically and emotionally.
Cancer Survivors Day Resources
I have been a part of and witness amazing, innovative work developed in the cancer space since my first diagnosis in 2002. Focusing specifically on the type of cancer I had twice, breast cancer, it is important for me to rely on research and resources that are evidence-based and scientifically proven. The website I mentioned above has many links to a variety of those resources.
One I rely on often is for breast cancer advocacy and support groups from the National Comprehensive and Cancer Network. I remember the day I received an email from Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo, the surgeon who performed my DIEP flap reconstruction, encouraging me to connect with NCCN. As one who works with and treats breast cancer patients every day, I took his advice. Today, the nonprofit I opened, DiepCJourney Foundation, after my second diagnosis and successful breast reconstruction, is listed on the NCCN resource page. I encourage you to utilize the NCCN breast cancer resource page for the strong organizations and advocacy groups listed.
What Defines You as A Cancer Survivor?
I enjoy hearing from those who read my blog. Connecting with other breast cancer bloggers each week is inspiring and feels special. I do this through the gracious work of Marie Ennis-O'Connor via her Weekly Roundup. The tag line is, "Making sense of the breast cancer experience together". on the Journeying Beyond Breast Cancer page.
These bloggers include survivors across the spectrum of cancers, both men and women. It does help make sense of the cancer experience together when you know others are feeling some of the same emotions and physical effects of the disease. This connectedness is what defines me, the community I surround myself with to learn, to laugh, to love, and to hold each other up through survivorship.
How about you? Has being a cancer survivor changed your life in ways that you never could imagine? Are you working in the cancer community now? I would love to hear from you and what being a cancer survivor means to you. Your thoughts and comments will no doubt inspire me on this Cancer Survivors Day and every day of the year.
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