Stupid Cancer
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Cancer Survivorship and Disparities Among AYAs
Reading Time: 4 minutesI am an early-stage investigator in the Department of Health Disparities Research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. I have been trained in the fields of psychology and health disparities research, particularly
The Chapter is Only Part of the Story
Reading Time: 2 minutesIf someone used a book as a metaphor to describe living with cancer and cancer survivorship, I think many adolescents and young adults (AYAs) would suspect the book is full of platitudes and move on
Diliara’s Research Story
Reading Time: 3 minutesAs a doctoral health communication student, I have always been interested in conducting applied research to translate my findings to develop interventions to help individuals in need in healthcare settings. When the time came to
The Need for Affirmative Cancer Care
Reading Time: 2 minutesThank you for giving me the space to share a bit about my story and my connections to the AYA cancer community. I am a psychology professor and psychologist committed to health equity broadly, as
PSYCHO-SOCIAL PROBLEM : MY TIME WITH CANCER
Reading Time: 2 minutesI had just entered college with a big hope and new ambition. But had to stop after two months because I had a fever and cough, wasn’t responding to common medicines, and experienced weight loss,
Vulnerability is Healing
Reading Time: 4 minutesFor starters, I feel extremely overwhelmed with gratitude that I have an amazing support system. Many of my friends and family have been super understanding, loving and compassionate during my ordeal. But there have also
Resilience & Connections
Reading Time: 2 minutesSix months after beginning chemotherapy, I was ushered to go back to work. Despite a half-year hiatus, I felt unready to deal with the real world. My mental health tremendously declined after completing treatment; you
CancerCon 2022
Reading Time: 2 minutesWhat a joy it was to be able to experience CancerCon. I won a Hotel Scholarship to experience it and I probably wouldn’t have been able to if not, at least for this year. Stupid
Confidence with Cold Caps
Reading Time: 3 minutesI want to share my experience with cold caps and how they helped my journey with Cancer feel a bit more bearable. It gave me a sense of some control over my body and I
My CancerCon Experience
Reading Time: 2 minutesI wish I was still at CancerCon. It was very helpful and meaningful for me. I miss all the new friends I made so very much. I really hope I can make it next year.
The Power of Belonging
Reading Time: 3 minutesWhile attending CancerCon Live this year, I was asked to describe Stupid Cancer in one word. Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you I’m very rarely at a loss for words! But
My CancerCon Experience
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe thought of traveling across the country to meet a bunch of strangers just seemed so out of my capabilities. I have been tied to doctors appointments and machines for almost three years now, and
CancerCon 22
Reading Time: 2 minutesMy first in-person CancerCon experience went well. I was nervous thinking about the trip. I do not travel much but I thought, “Why not try it out?”. I am happy that I did, and I
A TRIP I WILL FOREVER REMEMBER!
Reading Time: 2 minutesCancer Con 2022. Wow! What can I say?! A WHOLE LOT. This was such an amazing opportunity and truly an experience I will remember for the rest of my life. I was surrounded by people
Cancer Again?!?
Reading Time: 4 minutesWhen I was 26, on December 1st, 2017, I was first diagnosed with a rare form of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. To say that my body didn’t react to treatment well is a massive understatement. Complications, side
What Floor?
Reading Time: 2 minutes“What floor?” Words failed me. The elevator doors had closed but I found that I could not make the words come out. Sobbing uncontrollably and silently and trying to speak at the same time I
Confessions of a Cancer Survivor
Reading Time: 2 minutesI used to be a firm believer that “everything happens for a reason.” While there are events in life that are too good to be a coincidence, sometimes things occur that simply have no explanation.
Stupid Cancer, Stupid Thyroid
Reading Time: 2 minutesI first got involved with Stupid Cancer through my work as an oncology social worker. I support a lot of young adults newly diagnosed and trying to navigate their cancer experience–whether overcoming oncofertility obstacles, insurance
My Experience at CancerCon 2022
Reading Time: 2 minutesFrom the moment I arrived in Minneapolis, I was greeted with smiling faces and welcoming eyes at the conference. There was an underlying feeling of being accepted and showing up just the way that I
Hope After Being Diagnosed with Cancer in a Pandemic
Reading Time: 2 minutesIt all started on a Wednesday morning when I found the tumor. Just beforehand, I woke up early. I whipped up banana pancakes, jogged outside in the cool air, danced quietly in my living room,
If you’re reading this, go to Cancercon!
Reading Time: 2 minutesWhen I was diagnosed with stage four Adrenocortical carcinoma (in December 2019), I felt so alone. I was livid. I was terrified. I felt like I was being punished. All of sudden, my life was
From Cancer to Crowdfunding
Reading Time: 5 minutesAll my life, at least since early high school, I was deliberate in trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It started in ninth grade with weight lifting and wrestling, being conscious of fitness in general,
Stupid Cancer is the Family We’ve Been Seeking for So Long
Reading Time: 4 minutesI will be completely honest in saying I was dreading going to CancerCon. The closer the dates got, the bigger the knot grew in my stomach. I spent a year crying almost every day while
The Motivation for my Cancer Research
Reading Time: 2 minutesWhen I was 17 years old, my grandpa was diagnosed with lymph node cancer. I remember visiting him in the hospital and seeing him cry for the first time in my life – it was
Open Mic: Ana
Reading Time: < 1 minute Ana shares her story at our AYA Awareness Week 2022 Storytelling Open Mic.