When and where to mention (or not mention) your ongoing cancer survivorship story?
BY Barbara Tako
PUBLISHED February 19, 2019
Barbara Tako is a breast cancer survivor (2010), melanoma survivor (2014) and author of Cancer Survivorship Coping Tools–We'll Get You Through This. She is a cancer coping advocate, speaker and published writer for television, radio and other venues across the country. She lives, survives, and thrives in Minnesota with her husband, children and dog. See more at www.cancersurvivorshipcopingtools.com ,or www.clutterclearingchoices.com.
Who do we tell what we are? If you are still here today to read this, then you are a cancer survivor. Frighteningly, that is a label not all of us get to keep, or rather, some of us get to keep it longer than others. That is a touchy point we tend to shy away from. Some of us, even those of us with the "same" cancer, will live longer than others. We can all relate to the fear and anxiety of a cancer diagnosis as well as the struggle of deciding when to be quiet and when to share our story. And—wait for it— how much of our story "should" we share?
I was worn down, worried and upset after treatment. Many people treated me normally as soon as my hair began to grow back (most of it had fallen out during chemotherapy). Did people think I was talking too much about my cancer now that it was behind me? I am willing to bet that my spouse and children did, but I don't know for sure. One of the smartest sayings I have ever heard is, "What other people think of you is none of your business." Still, that is not a complete answer.
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