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Paying It Forward: A Journey of Hope, Healing, and Care Packages
Reading Time: < 1 minuteSonia Su shared their story at the CancerCon 2025’s Storytelling Open Mic. Sonia shares the story of how she transformed her cancer journey into a powerful mission of hope. She shares with the audience the
Hope After CML
Reading Time: 3 minutesBy: Jeffrey Mello, Chronic Myeloid Leukemia I grew up in Massachusetts. It was a normal start, but I always wanted something bigger. That drive took me to New York City, where I was accepted into
Redefining Us
Reading Time: 2 minutesBy: Natasha Parker, Breast Cancer Cancer turned my love life upside down in surprising ways. It wasn’t just the illness; it nudged our closeness into a new, sometimes awkward place that slow, honest work helped
Christie’s Cancer Journey
Reading Time: 2 minutesBy: Christie Englese, Colon Cancer Hi! My name is Christie. I’m a mom, a wife, a dental hygienist—and somewhere along the way, I also became a sneaker customizer. My story took a turn in December
From EMT to Patient: Fighting for Tomorrow
Reading Time: 3 minutesBy: Taylor Carlson, Blood Cancer In 2023, my life changed with a single word: cancer. I was in college, studying Human Biology, and working as an EMT. My days were packed with responding to emergencies,
My Testicular Cancer Journey (With a Dose of Humor)
Reading Time: 3 minutesBy: Nate Edwards, Testicular Cancer I found the lump the day after my 34th birthday in 2020; not exactly the kind of present you want to discover. I wasn’t entirely sure at first. I remember
Thank You, Mom
Reading Time: 3 minutesBy: Claudia Osburn, Breast Cancer I’m staring at my mom’s casket, and my mind is drowning in questions. How do I move on? Is she really gone? What are we supposed to do without her?
The Emotions of Cancer: From Shock to Relief and Everything in Between
Reading Time: 3 minutesBy: Tamron Little, Peritoneal Mesothelioma When you hear the words, “You have cancer,” your world doesn’t just pause — it explodes. I was 21 years old, a brand new mom, still healing from childbirth, when
No One Speaks Your Name
Reading Time: 2 minutesBy: Angela Campos, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma No one dares speak your name. Not even the doctor, who calls you a malignant mass. As if that would make the news less shocking. MAL-ignant, Mal, Male-Bad. That’s what
My Invisible Illness
Reading Time: 3 minutesBy: Kristen Stewart, 34, Brain Tumor While it’s been 6 years since my emergency brain surgery and discovery of my rare brain tumor, whenever I unexpectedly hear the word cancer in the media or in
Beyond the Diagnosis: Reclaiming My Life, One Moment at a Time
Reading Time: 6 minutesBy: Kelley Jones, 42, Lung Cancer From the moment we’re born, an internal countdown begins, ticking away towards an unknown end. In November of 2018, my countdown clock rapidly spun out of control. It was
Twisted but Unstoppable
Reading Time: 3 minutesBy: Ayushi Vishoni, 25, Cancer Survivor Trigger Warning: This story mentions a road accident and the loss of a loved one. Hi, I’m Ayushi, and my cancer journey officially turned my life upside down in
You-Can’t-Always-DIY
Reading Time: 7 minutesBy Ashlee Cramer, Caregiver My name is Ashlee, AKA caregiver extraordinaire. Sort of. I was a dancer; yep, on Broadway! Then a mom. Then an early childhood educator. Yet, here I am, now in the
My Birthday in Song
Reading Time: < 1 minuteAlexis Atkinson shared their story at the 2025 Stupid Cancer NYC Storytelling Open Mic Event in NYC. Alexis shares humor, sadness, and vulnerability through there conversation during the open mic event. She speaks about how
What Is Time
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alex Johnson shared their story at the 2025 Stupid Cancer NYC Storytelling Open Mic Event in NYC. Alex, a current cancer patient, shares an essay they wrote about their experience currently battling cancer. These
Tumor Humor
Reading Time: < 1 minuteAnthony Greco shared their story at the 2025 Stupid Cancer NYC Storytelling Open Mic Event in NYC. Anthony Greco takes his comedic approach to his current cancer battle by performing a stand-up comedy bit. He
Losing a Loved One
Reading Time: < 1 minuteClaudia Alvarez-Plaud shared their story at the 2025 Stupid Cancer NYC Storytelling Open Mic Event in NYC. Claudia shares her experience as a caretaker. She speaks on how watching her mom battle cancer was challenging;
The Poetry of Surviving
Reading Time: < 1 minuteJon Fox shared their story at the 2025 Stupid Cancer NYC Storytelling Open Mic Event in NYC. Jon shares his poetry to speak on his experience being a cancer patient, walking through the raw and
My Pain, My Power
Reading Time: < 1 minute Kouichi Shirayanagi shared their story at the 2025 Stupid Cancer NYC Storytelling Open Mic Event in NYC. Kouichi shares his incredible story of being diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma and how he
Laughing Through the Legacy
Reading Time: < 1 minute Marta Berkolayo shared their story at the 2025 Stupid Cancer NYC Storytelling Open Mic Event in NYC. Marta shares her powerful experience of being diagnosed with cancer after growing up watching both of her
Healing After the Battle
Reading Time: < 1 minute Perry Zimmerman, Stupid Cancer Jr Board Member, shared their story at the 2025 Stupid Cancer NYC Storytelling Open Mic Event in NYC. Perry Zimmerman, a 6-time cancer survivor, took the stage at open mic
Beating Teen Parenthood & Cancer
Reading Time: < 1 minute Ranjit Steiner, Stupid Cancer Jr Board Member and CancerCon Advisory Committee Member, shared their story at the 2025 Stupid Cancer NYC Storytelling Open Mic Event in NYC. Ranjit Steiner shares his experience battling osteosarcoma
Thrilled to be 50
Reading Time: < 1 minute Rebecca Smith shared their story at the 2025 Stupid Cancer NYC Storytelling Open Mic Event in NYC. Rebecca Smith, a 50-year-old mom of two, is not only a cancer survivor—she’s also someone who
Rashad’s Recipe for C.A.K.E.
Reading Time: 3 minutesBy: Rashad Hayes, 31, Stupid Cancer Jr. Board Member “C-A-N-C-E-R”, six letters, one word, and a moment that stole the air from my lungs. I was 22. A former collegiate athlete. Strong, disciplined, and used
My BMT Journey
Reading Time: 6 minutesBy: Patrick Rossi, 29, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma Before my 25th birthday, I was just your run-of-the-mill accountant with social anxiety. I was afraid of speaking up, going out of my comfort zone, or being judged –