Survivors who have excelled

This is my first time ever involving myself in something like this, so here goes nothing! 

I was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin's Lymphoma, four days after I graduated high school. I was 17 years old and although HL is extremely curable, unfortunately mine was as bad as it was going to get before I didn't make it. Within the last few weeks, I've realized that my diagnosis and what I went through because of my cancer, is something that I have never coped with or even began to heal from. I can talk about the physical effects my cancer had on me or the diagnosis itself or even the horrible emotional effects it had on my family. I don't ever talk about how it truly made me feel. I don't share the things that went through my head with anybody. I realize that this is because even after being in remission for 2 years, it still hasn't hit me that I went through that. I haven't accepted the fact that I endured such a hell; physically and emotionally. 

With that being said, my cancer is the reason I'm doing all the positive things I am today; working multiple jobs and going to school all while living on my own at the age of 20, paying all my own bills, having my own car. Before I was diagnosed, I was on a path of nothing but self-destruction and even immediately after diagnosis I wasn't getting much better. After the first couple treatments, I started to make some changes. Maybe it was because I didn't have the energy to go out and party anymore or I didn't feel like I could get myself 'cute' enough when I didn't have any hair, to go out in public very often. I'm not sure what clicked in my head after diagnosis, but something did and I'm sure glad it did. 

I agree when you say a lot of the online information involving childhood cancer, childhood cancer survivors, etc., is mostly negative. However, childhood cancer research only see 4% of government funding. It's SO important that we let everyone know the raw side of childhood cancer in hopes that they'll put more towards funding research. Don't get me wrong, I'm always talking and posting about the progress I've made since treatment ended. I let everyone know how much healthier I look and all the great things I'm doing with myself now. But we all know cancer isn't always positive. It's not even MOSTLY positive. And in order for everyone around us to gain the knowledge needed to help increase the amount of funding childhood cancer research receives, it's up to us to share with them the raw and nasty side of what we went through. 

LexSurvivor99 said:

Stage 4 Hodgkin's Lymphoma Survivor

When I was diagnosed I was 17 years old and went through 5 rounds of chemotherapy. I have now been in remission for 4 years now, while I have many long-term effects from my cancer physically and mentally I try to make sure I look at the brighter things in my life. I was the first senior at my high school to be accepted to college, I will be graduating next year with a bachelor's in social work, and look forward to doing a double master's in social work and public health. I have gotten requests to be working in local hospitals, government agencies (FBI), and even told that I should look to be a senator to advocate for childhood cancer legislation. I want to make a difference in the lives of everyone I meet and want to eventually create a nonprofit that focuses solely on the emotional and mental affects that cancer has on childhood cancer survivors.

Wow! I hope you will be able to do the things in life you want to do and help others!

Survivor of Childhood Leukemia here. I was diagnosed at 11 and I'm 42 now.

Surviving did cause me to put a lot of pressure to achieve something great, whatever that was. I often feel I wasted my 2nd chance at life, have not done enough, and I am on borrowed time. Been struggling with those feelings lately.

I am fortunate to be healthy. Sure, depression and anxiety but I have treated it with talk therapy and medication for years.

Been a bit of a late bloomer but lived pretty hard and fast when I was young, wasted time and potential probably. But I am really kind, happily married and Cat Dad to, two spoiled Snowshoe Siamese. Decent enough job, doing better on paper than many people of my generation, but I am NOT rich or what many would call a success.

I've really clawed my way out of things.