“My stepmom gave me an ultimatum. ‘Your belongings are in trash bags on the front porch.’ I was not allowed to call or see my father. What I thought was a trip to Grandma’s ended in me being locked in a religious cult for 5 years as I battled cancer.”
‘A heavy door slammed behind me. I begged, ‘I promise I’ll be the best little girl. Please do not leave me here!’ A creepy man said ‘young lady’ and grabbed me by the shoulders.’: Woman details journey battling cancer while in teen religious cult
‘Will I be able to have a family?’ The rooms were filled with old ladies. I knew in my gut it wasn’t good.’: Breast cancer survivor inspires others, ‘I look forward to a beautiful future’
“I saw the hospital number on my cell. I grabbed my phone. ‘Monique, I’m so, so sorry.’ Questions flooded my mind.”
‘A tumor had taken over my entire femur. ‘All signs are leading to cancer.’ They removed 60% of the muscle in my leg. It was torture’: Cancer survivor says, ‘I found the power to keep fighting’
“I spent 3 days wide awake because I couldn’t stop hallucinating giant, juicy spiders crawling over me. I had to sleep with my feet in ice buckets. My skin felt like it was on fire. This was all ‘normal’ in the chemo world.”
‘It’s stage 4.’ What followed was brutal. My body was no longer my own and the pain was indescribable. I lost my identity.’: Cancer survivor births rainbow baby, ‘It was worth everything’
“I had to start chemo right away and didn’t have time to freeze my eggs. I was told, ‘Pregnancy might be difficult.’ I lost my long hair, my identity, and the life I had just grasped.”
‘Our baby was inpatient, and our daughter was admitted for paralysis. She screamed in agony.’: Twin born with heart defect while daughter battles cancer, ‘My only option is to be strong’
“Nothing prepares you to see your baby in that state. Then, our girl needed a biopsy. The hospital was nice enough to let them share rooms.”
‘We found a tumor.’ My stomach was stitched from hip to hip. I looked down to discover my spleen had broken through.’: Man battles Stage 3 Testicular Cancer, ‘Never doubt yourself’
“I began to lose the red hair that had always defined me. After a period of grieving, I told myself, ‘I can either give in or fight like hell to defeat this disease.’ Right then, I stopped feeling sorry for myself.”
‘That’s the best kind of cancer to have.’ I wasn’t worthy of calling myself a cancer survivor. I felt myself shrinking.’: Woman raises awareness for Melanoma, ‘My journey is valid’
“A vegan blamed me for having cancer because I eat meat. Someone told me, ‘Anyone who wears sunscreen deserves to get cancer.’ People will say YOU are the cause of your own cancer.”
‘They’re stripping me of ANOTHER body part?’ I was only 16. ‘I’m sorry, your tumor didn’t shrink, at all.’: Multiple cancer survivor with TP53 gene becomes advocate, ‘I choose to not let fear control me’
“’We need to amputate.’ I’d never be able to play sports again, I’d never walk again, I probably wouldn’t go to college or get married. Everything I planned for suddenly came crashing down on me.”
‘But I’m getting married!’ Our honeymoon was at the treatment center. Somehow I had become ‘the problem.’: Cancer survivor battles infertility, ‘This is the year we become parents’
“I didn’t understand what came out of her mouth after ‘hysterectomy.’ NO WAY! Not at the age of 30! I was the strong one, I refused to let anyone see my fear.”
‘Am I going to die?’ I woke to strands of hair on my pillow. My heart sunk. ‘I’m going to be bald.’ I lost my hair a week before prom.’: Teenager shares cancer journey, ‘It opened my eyes’
“I felt isolated from my friends. They viewed me as being fragile, but I was the same person as before. This shattered me. No matter what I did, I was always viewed as the cancer girl.”
