Too often, the news, internet and social media focus on the sad stories. As survivors, it is up to us to focus on those stories that are positive and how survivors living their lives. I call it the living stories.
BY Dana Stewart
PUBLISHED April 14, 2018
Dana Stewart was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 at the age of 32. She is the co-founder of a cancer survivorship organization called The Dragonfly Angel Society. She volunteers as an advocate and mentor, focusing on young adults surviving cancer. She enjoys writing about life as a cancer survivor, as well as connecting survivors to the resources, inspirations and stories that have helped her continue to live her best life, available at www.dragonflyangelsociety.com.
I always watch the news. I don't care if the stories are good or bad. I just need to know what is happening in the world. I do find that the news seems to carry more of the upsetting, nerve-racking stories of the day as opposed to a news broadcast that could be filled with happy stories about people doing good in the world. Maybe there is not a big enough audience for this? That, I am not sure of.
I somewhat feel the same about cancer stories. Even before I got my own cancer diagnosis, when I heard cancer stories, they never seemed to turn out very good. The stories were always about someone who had a cancer diagnosis and their sad story of how their life was cut short by this awful disease. I don't know if these cancer stories were the ones that I just remembered or if there only seemed to be negative cancer stories.
Once I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I only wanted to hear about the people who made it. I was diagnosed at 32 years old, so I would search high and low for the stories of young adults diagnosed with cancer who lived their full lives after. Any positive outcome of cancer was something I latched onto like my life depended on it. In a sense, it did. As I went through treatment, I tried to keep everything as positive as I could, not only for my own sanity, but also for those around me.
I somewhat feel the same about cancer stories. Even before I got my own cancer diagnosis, when I heard cancer stories, they never seemed to turn out very good. The stories were always about someone who had a cancer diagnosis and their sad story of how their life was cut short by this awful disease. I don't know if these cancer stories were the ones that I just remembered or if there only seemed to be negative cancer stories.
Once I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I only wanted to hear about the people who made it. I was diagnosed at 32 years old, so I would search high and low for the stories of young adults diagnosed with cancer who lived their full lives after. Any positive outcome of cancer was something I latched onto like my life depended on it. In a sense, it did. As I went through treatment, I tried to keep everything as positive as I could, not only for my own sanity, but also for those around me.
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