What Does It Mean To Be A Survivor?
I think each individual childhood cancer survivor has a unique story, no two are the same. It changes your life whether you’re ready or not. Surviving cancer provides you with a new insight on life, about how precious and fragile it is. As a survivor I have been given the opportunity to have a voice and educate people on the lifelong effects of surviving cancer. Here is my story.
At the age of 9, I was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in my left arm. What is Osteosarcoma? It is a form of bone cancer. It’s the same bone cancer that Terry Fox fought, and ultimately, lost his life to. I received chemotherapy for over a year and endured many invasive surgeries. I live with scars covering my entire left arm, back, and left leg. At the time of my diagnosis there weren’t many options available. I became the second person in the world to receive the treatment I had. They had little expectations regarding the mobility I would have, but I am happy to report that it ended better than expected. I was able to keep my arm, although with limited function, and tremendous scarring. To speak of the rarity of the disease, I have yet to meet a single person who has had the same cancer as me in their arm.
Living with a physical disability is emotionally painful, to say the least. Returning to school in grade 5 – bald, frail, and covered in scars – is something that I don’t think I have ever emotionally healed from. Sounds silly, considering I am now 31 – but the emotional trauma left is every bit as permanent as the physical scars marked all over my body. They serve as reminders of the warzone I myself, as well as my family, went through.
There is an amazing amount of support that kids with cancer get while going through treatment. It is something I am forever grateful for. However, once you turn 18 and officially graduate from your pediatric hospital, it can feel like you are just another file that has been stored away – collecting dust, forgotten.
“Returning to school in grade 5 – bald, frail, and covered in scars – is something that I don’t think I have ever emotionally healed from. Sounds silly, considering I am now 31”
The lack of research on the post-treatment effects and availability of free resources for childhood cancer survivors is disheartening. Chemotherapy kills all cells in your body, not just the bad ones, the good ones as well. As a result, chemotherapy saved my life but has also done permanent damage to my hearing, teeth, bone density, and mental health. Funding available for these ongoing health issues is sparse and typically only available in large urban centres.
“…chemotherapy saved my life but has also done permanent damage to my hearing, teeth, bone density, and mental health.”
We need to educate people on the long-term problems and struggles that childhood cancer survivors go through. More resources should be identified and made available to those who need them. Collectively we need to unite and form awareness about these issues!
Programs such as CCSC that provide a platform to connect everyone is something I’ve been yearning to be a part of. I am excited to be a part of something so important, and I truly hope my story can make a difference. I feel programs like these can open new doors and possibilities for all childhood cancer survivors.
Kate
Calgary, Alberta
