You’re such an inspiration ❤️
“I had become really good at being a patient in treatment, but I was completely unprepared for what came after. I didn’t know what this so-called “new normal” was supposed to be. For so long, my focus had been solely on survival — on not dying. Now, faced with the idea of actually living again, I was terrified. I found myself constantly bracing for the words, “Your cancer is back,” for the fourth time. The thought of a life without cancer was foreign to me — I didn’t even know how to begin imagining it, let alone living it.
Don’t get me wrong, hearing that I was clear to start living again brought relief — but not celebration. This time, there was no bell to ring, no party, no congratulations. It felt like no one dared to believe it was real.
So, like many of us, I turned to Google: “Cancer treatment ended, now what?” I hoped for guidance, but there was little to find. I felt lost, frustrated, and overwhelmed. At almost 35, I was dealing with early menopause, had gained over 30 pounds from treatment, and was just… exhausted. And yet, no one seemed to talk about what happens after. There were no clear answers for the emotions I was drowning in — or how to move through them.”