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• October 6, 2013 9:55 p.m.

  I too, dislike the term survivor, (I am Thank God cancer-free for the second time)I don't define myself by what I went through, I define myself by the kind of person that I became as a result. Thank God I have awesome family and friends who are comfortable enough about it to laugh and joke about it in a sensitive way. May God grant you all good health and many happy healthy years.

  - Jennifer

• October 5, 2013 3:23 p.m.

  continued......I am so tired and I would bet there those of you that would like to admit it and do not for fear of criticism of family, friends and doctors. Thanks for listening.

  - A W

• October 5, 2013 3:19 p.m.

  Survivor, thriver, prethriver...why do wehave to be labeled anything. One who has diabetes is called diabetic. Knowing that is something they will live with the rest of their life. cancer is no different. The word Survivor, in my opinion, is just a jingle word to give false hope and raise money. It give a person a false sense of hope. I thought at the end of my first five years I am a survivor and then "bingo" a re occurrence, then the second round of treatments and once again after five years I am now fighting it again. This time it can only be put into remission and no cure. Isn't it more truthful that once you have cancer we are not a Survivor but trying to survive. What is wrong with just saying you have cancer for the rest of you life just like many other diseases. I do not participate in Relay for Life as they have a dinner for survivors a victory lap for survivors etc. I am not a survivor. I am being kept alive by medication and treatments. Face the truth there is no so called Survivors. Well, that may be pretty strong I imagine there are long time people getting through the disease over many many years but are we surviving or survivors. Or just plain canceretes. As far as mutation goes there is a lot to think about before putting the family through that. Does a young girl whose family is prone to cancer really want to have a hysterectomy or bilateral on a blood test. Seems like it would put unnecessary anxiety on them. To be truthful I am so

  - A W

• October 4, 2013 8:28 p.m.

  I have enjoyed reading all your posts. I am 5 years " no evidence of disease" lynch syndrome colon cancer. I really do not label my self other than I will live forever without my colon and have follow up appointments. I also really hate all the language about fighting and being brave etc. I am a hospice nurse and no patient I have ever met wanted to die but sometimes it happens, it's physiology and sometimes there are no treatments. I do like previvor because my 3 kids in their 20s are in this place. They have the knowledge that this gene is present and they can make informed choices about their health and that gives them power and control which at their ages is huge.

  - Thyra

• October 4, 2013 7:13 p.m.

  In my metastatic breast cancer support group, no one considers herself a "survivor." We are not gloomy or fatalistic women, but the statistics speak for themselves. Three members have died in the three years I have attended; on the other hand, one woman has now lived five years beyond diagnosis and another, more than three years. So we have come to terms with our cancer, but we continue to be engaged with the things that bring meaning and joy to our lives.

  - Claire

• October 4, 2013 1:04 p.m.

  I just had a mammo done and they asked me to come back for the another check. Paniky, I was thinking the worst. I got the check again, and guess what?? I was cancer-free! I like the thought of being a previvor. I posted it and everyone thought I just got done with treatment. I think it should be brought to the attention of the public of what it means to be a previvor.

  - Kathy

• October 4, 2013 12:19 p.m.

  Interesting perspective, previvor. I am one of those diagnosed with primary myelofibrosis. There is no cure treatment, only trial drugs to alleviate symptoms. Until you are at the transfusion stage, there is really no treatment, which eliminates you from the cancer centres where they have support groups. I guess this would put me in the thriver group, as I am thriving completely on my own(along with the internet which guides me to diet regarding my blood counts). I have thrived for four years since diagnosis. I do find the lack of support frustrating. Family can only do so much empathizing. I live every day to the fullest and love life dearly.

  - Patricia

• October 4, 2013 11:30 a.m.

  I had no pain before my cancer diagnosis in 2010. Now I live with pain daily as a result of my treatment. What I am surviving is the treatment....not the cancer. I watched my 89 year old mother-in-law die from cancer. She didn't do chemo so she had none of the side effects of treatment and lived with pain for only a short time. I'm not so sure that by choosing life on earth via treatment is really surviving. Maybe life with Jesus in eternity is what God intended for us survivors!

  - Terri

• October 4, 2013 8:20 a.m.

  I was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2013. I have completed my chemotherapy and radiation treatment and have just started my Hormone Replacement Therapy. I also like the term thriver. To me it means that despite the diagnosis and treatment you are thriving, in other words using myself as an example I am feeling good and positive and getting my life back on track. I have tried as much as possible to keep my life "normal" while having treatment and have managed to continue working. I have been very fortunate not to have experienced serious debilitating side effect, apart from tiredness, slight nausea and hair loss. My hair is now growing back and my next check up is in 4 months time. I am feeling strong and hope I continue to feel that way. I still rest regularly but am trying to start doing the things I used to do before my diagnosis and treatment and I am enjoying and appreciating them so much. It is like coming out of hibernation.

  - Heidi

• October 3, 2013 6:05 p.m.

  I am a cancer patient - diagnosed with Carcinoid cancer metastatic to my liver 7 years ago this december. I have had two surgeries and a chemo-embolization. I feel like cancer is a chronic disease that has to be treated not unlike diabetes. Just have to stay ahead of it - get treated - and live your life as normall as possible!

  - carol

• October 3, 2013 2:56 p.m.

  Reading the posts, I was most gratified to see that others also take issue with the term "survivor." The definition of survivor & anyone who has taken French in school can attest to, is "one who lives on." NO one lives on forever. I have had 4 different unrelated cancers so I have learned that "survivor" has no real meaning. If this desease comes to me again, will I be a survivor? Even though I am healthy, hale & hearty right now, I prefer to be designated as a "cancer patient." Yeah, that's a downer but it's realistic because that's what I am, with periodic tests & visits to my surgeon and oncologist. I am tired of the euphemisms & battle talk about people who have had the misfortune of getting cancer. I'd like to have a future blog about that, too. No one "battles" cancer whether they live through it or die from it. Cancer is the wrong side of nature & it will do what it wants to do. How we handle our illness is another story.But being brave is not how we handle the actual disease, it is how we choose to comport ourselves. There is so much fear and terror associated with cancer that no other disease has such misleading language when describing it.

  - JUDITH

• October 3, 2013 1:37 p.m.

  Like a number of you, I find "survivor" a bit overstated. A "survivor" should be those who have accomplished something heroic. I have a chronic, rare form of Leukemia and quite frankly consider myself to be very lucky. It has taught me many lessons had I not gotten leukemia would have never known. I am lucky that it is chronic rather than acute. Whether the mutiple chemo's or the leukemia itself has caused permanent damage to my body is less important as I am still alive with a quality of life. I believe we should take all our life experiences, learn from them and make ourselves better people for them.It's not personal, just a part of our lives. I am not a "survivor", per say I have just survived my disease so far. I'm just happy we could share this moment together.

  - Jeff

• October 3, 2013 1:31 p.m.

  I don't like the term survivor. Some of us don't survive - does that makes us any less strong? Does that mean that we didn't try hard enough?

  - Shirley

• October 3, 2013 12:55 p.m.

  I appreciate all of the comments made.It certainly reflects how my feelings have and continue to change day by day. I guess for me it is a sort of "Club". There is an ease of similar experiences, similar humor and similar gratitudes that people who have experienced cancer share. I had breast cancer and endometrial cancer (as a side effect of breast cancer treatment). Thanks to all who share their experiences.

  - Maureen

• October 3, 2013 12:14 p.m.

  I am a survivor/thriver of Stage 3C2 endometrial cancer. I did not consider myself a survivor until I had completed treatment. That treatment was radical hysterectomy, three rounds of chemotherapy, five weeks of external radiation, three treatments of internal radiation, and three more cycles of chemotherapy. I survived the cancer and the treatment. This past spring a marked five years post treatment survival. Now I have no evidence of cancer. I do have peripheral neuropathy and need an ankle orthotic and use a cane or walker when leaving my home. Yet I am thriving. Thanks be to God for healing.

  - Eileen

• October 3, 2013 11:59 a.m.

  I am also one of those that don't fit well into the category of survivor, because I live with active metastatic breast cancer--have done so for close to ten years! I don't like the "war" labels that have become cultural metaphors for a lifetime journey with cancer. As my mother said, "Fighting doesn't solve anything!" I can appreciate that those dealing with difficult cancer treatments don't always feel much like "thrivers," but for today at least, I like the positive image of thriver, rather than the "war-torn" images of survivor.

  - Diane

• October 3, 2013 11:31 a.m.

  I like survivor, except for the implication of victimization. To face and triumph anything has value. But it seems healthy if one can, to avoid letting oneself feel like a victim and all the stuff that implies. Having thrived even before my cancer, I suppose that makes me a prethriver. So let it continue. Whatever one finds helpful, let it be.

  - Bill

• October 2, 2013 1:30 a.m.

  I've read your post about meditation in nature and it is a great way to de-stress. My preference is Yoga Nidra as form of meditation and you can do it outdoors. It's good to do it under the guidance of a Yoga Guru.

  - Voyt

• October 1, 2013 11:32 a.m.

  the terms are somewhat misleading ,doesn't really speak to the all the different modes ..but the previvor would be disconcerting to those who had not prevented the cancer even though they really appreciate and would love to help any person's effort in that cause . the post here are right-on ..labels. its might be more of something like "THE C CLUB" with all kinds of people and their support groups in the battle for life on a daily basis ..previvor and survivor are all in 'THE C CLUB"

  - lc

• September 30, 2013 10:10 a.m.

  The last word of my previous comment got left off. It should read, and end, ... So is living. ;-)

  - Kenneth

• September 30, 2013 10:07 a.m.

  All that follows is my opinion and my take on my situation. Its personal and doesn't necessarily pertain to anybody else. I have terminal cancer. CLL. I am in remission. Given the advanced stage of the cancer at the time of my diagnosis the remission will not last. Now "will not last" doesn't come with an expiration date and neither do I. At some point my cancer, and it is MY cancer because it IS a part of me (MY body), will be the death of me. So I never refer to myself as a cancer survivor. I have cancer and I deal with it. Dealing with it is the real issue, not giving it a label so that it can be compartmentalized and perhaps somehow separated from ME. Dealing with it requires the answer to one primary question. "How?" I was taught to love others as I love myself, which means I need to love me. My cancer cells are my own cells run rampant. They are a part of ME. So how do I deal with my cancer? Simple. And simplicity ought never to be confused with ease. I love it. I love my cancer. My definition of love is the hinge upon which my life, and my cancer, remission and all else, swings. To love means to honestly want the best for fill-in-the-blank and help bring that best about if its appropriate for me to do so. Because at times the best way to help is by taking a "hands off" approach, especially if I don't know what I'm doing. My cancer requires loving hands on and doing the next right thing. Cancer,survival, and love are just that simple. So is

  - Kenneth

• September 29, 2013 9:27 p.m.

  Sorry, DNA-DID NOT ASK. THANKS.

  - Kristina

• September 29, 2013 9:24 p.m.

  Labels, labels, labels...I don't like any label per say that people define me as a person in a category. But, I do like individuals I trust, have faith in, respect, just good people who mean well. Selfless! In medical circles many disease groups are so supportive to each other, it is a honor to be a part of them, courageous individuals who have a passion for a CURE. They don't want others to ever suffer the pain of what they experienced. The transplant people and their families are beyond my imagination in faith. Life, is so precious, daily, daily we wake up with gratitude and go to sleep in a bed wherever. I have a dystonia, a neurological movement disorder, and am a volunteer advocate. I feel I am blessed with the disease because I am doing things in life, I never would have done and learned about life. But, I am very much supported and validated by other DMRF advocates and individuals who live with it and go for the cure! Somehow I never have felt like I was defined by dystonia, we are so much more than an illness or disease. But it may be that from the disease we become more of what we are here on earth to do, GIVE LOVE, BE LOVED. Elle, I agree with you, who wants to be defined in one or two words, we are so much bigger than labels...don't even like fashion labels that's why I make all of my own clothes. Elle, laugh, at least cancer is cancer, dystonia is not known..".can we caught it from you?" I wear dark glasses and a hat night and day. DNA-DID NO

  - Kristina

• September 29, 2013 3:33 p.m.

  I think these labels are ridiculous. I had cancer 12 years ago and I am not defined by it. I have also had appendicitis and many other illnesses over my 50+ years. I am not defined by any other illness I have had, why should I be defined by cancer?

  - Elle