To celebrate our 2-year anniversary of being a nonprofit, Lacuna Loft is bringing back our top 31 articles from our archives! This is Flashback #14: Breaking the Stereotype of Cancer Survival, written by Nikhil. These 31 articles are the best of the best and we’re very happy to share them with you again! The countdown continues tomorrow!
….People always tell me I’m “brave” for being so happy and positive through my journey. They admire how I’ve adapted and grown through my experience, to be this guy who could logic his way through any challenge. Sure, I may often end up, or come off as happy, positive and cheery in the face of adversity, but that’s not ALWAYS how I truly feel. I may have “won” my battle with cancer but I certainly don’t always feel like a winner.
In reality, the ugly, not-too-well-known truth about cancer is that it affects you long after its left your body. The physical fatigue, maintenance treatments, and weariness are just the tip of the iceberg. The emotional drainage of facing your mortality, sometimes multiple times, often for years after treatment “ends”… the frustration of an all-too-slow recovery and the realization that you may never be your old self again, all of this plagues many cancer patients long after their last treatment is over. Not to mention the medical bills…
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