Survival Is Insufficient

Now there is scientific research showing that the young adult cancer population, aged 18-39, is the most isolated age-group who experiences cancer, and that this isolation is linked to all sorts of quality of life issues. It affects survival rates, reintegration into normal life, and a host of other things. There is data showing that surviving cancer is not enough, we must also be helped to thrive. There is data showing that survival is insufficient.

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Why I Stayed Away From Survivors

It wasn’t just denial and triggers and caricatures that got in the way of me connecting. It was the idea of being friends with people who were much more likely, statistically, to die earlier than normal, and to have very difficult things happen to them. It was the risk that everyone I knew was weighing with me: how closely do I want to be entwined with that kind of hard?

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Write Now With Jean Rowe: Help

It is not uncommon to wonder how we can make a difference when Big Things are happening. We can, though, make a difference even in the smallest of ways. We might start with our own self-care. Are we getting enough rest? Have we connected even virtually with loved ones to make sure we’re connecting? Do we need a snack?

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