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The Day the Bottom Fell Out From Under Us
Reading Time: 4 minutesBy: Abbie Sheffield, 32, Ductal Carcinoma 2024 was the year of infertility. It started on my 31st birthday, January 8th. I was eight weeks pregnant, so full of hope. But during the ultrasound appointment, the
Googling is a Bad Idea
Reading Time: 2 minutesBy Hannah Brown, 32, Ovarian Cancer Just because you have two masses, one on each ovary, doesn’t mean it’s cancer. When bad news appears, people tend to grasp the ‘what ifs.’ I tend to lean
Being Your Own Advocate: A Second Opinion Gave Me a Second Chance at Life
Reading Time: 3 minutesBy: Kassie Reynolds, 30, Pancreatic Cancer I never thought I would be the person who says, “Getting a second opinion saved my life.” Then again, I never thought I would be saying at 30 years
Crowned Twice: A Beauty Queen’s Reign After Cancer
Reading Time: 5 minutesBy: Josie Carstensen, 24, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Two weeks before I was supposed to walk across the graduation stage and receive my college diploma, I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. A chest x-ray found the fast-growing
A Journey Through Parenthood, Health Struggles, and Mental Health
Reading Time: 3 minutesBy Danielle Grefrath, 40, Ductal Carcinoma On July 6th, 2021, my world was turned upside down. At 36 years old, with a career I was building, two kids thriving in school and sports, a new
How I use Humor – On & Off Stage – to Cope with Brain Cancer
Reading Time: 4 minutesBy: Anthony Greco, 31, Brain Cancer Hi! Thanks for reading. My name is Anthony Greco, and I am a 31 year old comedian based out of New York City. I have also been dealing with
Now Boarding
Reading Time: 2 minutesBy: Cindy Trice, AYA Cervical Cancer Survivor Ladies and gentlemen, this is Oncology Nurse and I’m your chief flight attendant. On behalf of Captain Oncologist and the entire crew, welcome aboard Airlines flight 81704 with non-stop
My Thyroid Cancer Journey
Reading Time: 2 minutesBy: Sara Jesus, Thyroid Cancer The day I was diagnosed with cancer, at just 18 years old, is one I will never forget. I came home from school to find my mom in tears, and
My Kidney Cancer Story: Fighting to Be Heard, Fighting to Hold On
Reading Time: 3 minutesBy Shayla Mitchell, 29, Kidney Cancer For several months, I knew something wasn’t right. My body felt off; persistent back pain, discomfort, and an unshakable feeling that something was wrong. But every time I sought
The Big Cs
Reading Time: 3 minutesAmanda Kule, 35, Breast Cancer As a young adult, breast cancer has legitimately always been on my mind. And in a weird way, I almost felt prepared for my diagnosis. Almost. It started when I
Special Bonds: Celebrating Mother’s Day
Reading Time: 6 minutesStupid Cancer had the chance to chat with David, 28, & Mónica, 57, a son and mother duo who navigated David’s Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) diagnosis together. They spoke with us about how cancer changed
Caring for the Caregiver: Research on Caregivers of AYA Cancer Patients
Reading Time: 2 minutesXimena Giesemann, 31, Melenoma I officially became a part of the AYA community in August of 2016 when I received my own cancer diagnosis: melanoma. I was 22 years old at the time and days
A Rare Cancer Diagnosis 3 Weeks Postpartum
Reading Time: 5 minutesMichelle Kaba, 39, Ampullary Cancer The day after my 35th birthday, when my first baby was just 22 days old, I was diagnosed with Ampullary Cancer on March 8, 2023. This is a rare cancer
It’s Over, Right?
Reading Time: 5 minutesBy: David Llano, 28, Leukemia I always find it funny that I do not remember the exact date of my last discharge after undergoing a bone marrow transplant and a brief battle with Leukemia (AML).
Blood for Grace
Reading Time: 3 minutesBy Sarah Grace, 29, Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Leukemia, & Lymphoma I celebrate a cancerversary, but it’s a complicated feeling. The date I observe is my first diagnosis, lymphoma, when I was 18. It marked
The Day-to-Day Impact of Financial Toxicity on AYAs
Reading Time: 4 minutesCarlos Rickman, 31, Soft Tissue Sarcoma To bring awareness to the unique issues AYAs face in survivorship, Stupid Cancer community member Carlos Rickman shared his insights about the impact financial toxicity has on the AYA
The Unexpected Impact of Side Effects
Reading Time: 3 minutesBy Naomi Aziz, 33, Uterine & Ovarian Cancer To bring awareness to the unique issues AYAs face in survivorship, Stupid Cancer community member Naomi Aziz shared her insights about the physical and emotional side effects
Celebrating Love While Battling a Brain Tumor
Reading Time: 6 minutesStupid Cancer had the chance to chat with Olivia, 38, & Ben, 40, who are in the process of navigating all of the ins and outs of Ben’s brain tumor diagnosis. The couple decided to
Becoming the Patient: A Twist in My Journey to Help Others
Reading Time: 3 minutesBy: LaShae Rolle, 27, Multicentric Breast Cancer When I began my journey in public health during my Master of Public Health (MPH) program, my passion was clear: I wanted to help reduce the prevalence and
Turning My Cancer Experience into Advocacy
Reading Time: 3 minutesBy: Lucas Manganiello, 25, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma As a cancer survivor and an active member in the cancer community, I have always felt inclined to be an advocate for my peers whenever I can. Personally, I
Corey Brazill: My MRD & Treatment Journey
Reading Time: < 1 minuteCorey shares the story of his treatment journey and the “relief” of discovering MRD testing. Sponsored By:
CancerCon 2024: Finding Your People
Reading Time: 2 minutesCancerCon Live 2024 – what an amazing experience! This past August I had the honor of being a scholarship recipient to attend CancerCon Live in Austin, TX. It was amazing. I have debated attending CancerCon
Professor, Scientist, Young Adult Cancer Survivor
Reading Time: 3 minutesAlmost 40 years ago, at the age of 25, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. At the time, the doctor told me it was curable, which was encouraging, but I remember thinking: “Yeah, but it’s
How I Got My Groove Back at CancerCon
Reading Time: < 1 minuteAfter facing breast cancer under the age of 40, I found it difficult to find others who “got it.” Cancer is isolating, scary, and dumb. I often saw no one my age at the cancer
Cancer & Fertility: Building a Research Program that Focuses on the Needs of Survivors
Reading Time: 2 minutesMy work has focused on fertility and family building among cancer survivors for over ten years now. My interest in this topic started when I was a postdoctoral fellow in clinical psychology at Memorial Sloan