This Is Why I Say I'm 'Surviving' Instead of Calling Myself a 'Survivor'

To me, a survivor is past tense. It is saying that you survived something and it is finished. There is nothing else you need to overcome or no other doctors you need to see. This part of your life is over and you can write the final paragraph in that chapter.

But like why would you say you’re a survivor (past tense) when this thing is going to follow you for the rest of your life? You have yearly scans, blood work labs and specialists to see. You’re not done. You’re just getting started. Not to mention the fact that remission is potentially temporary and a something that will haunt you day after day. I even have started looking for jobs in Minneapolis instead of more grandeur cities like San Francisco or New York just so I can be close to my doctors in case of tragedy. Why would I say that my cancer is past-tense and done if I have to do things like that? It isn’t realistic, it’s just not.

So instead, look at another word. Surviving.