Living with cancer as a chronic illness Part 2
HOW DOES ONE LIVE WITH CANCER as a chronic illness? Can you imagine living with not one, but two different types of cancer?
SS was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2007 and then breast cancer in 2008. Chemo and radiation kept her cancer free until January of 2016 when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 (metastatic) breast cancer because the cancer had spread to her lungs. She was recently given an “expiration” date of one year.
“The first four-and-a-half years after my Stage 4 diagnosis were fairly normal,” she says. The oral chemo she was on caused minimal side effects, so she felt that her life was largely unaffected. However, a year ago things began to change as the spots in her lungs grew, fluid accumulated, and she began to experience shortness of breath. She participated in two clinical trials; however, these did not halt the progression. She will begin another new treatment regimen soon.
“Throughout all of this I have had no pain, which means that my quality of life did not suffer,” says SS. “My cancer journey has taught me to be open about my experience so that others can see how normal life can be with a chronic illness. That openness has helped me and those around me transition to the terminal phase of my illness with candor and love. I am, by nature, an introvert; however, sharing my experiences has diffused my anxiety and fostered a common bond with many friends who are enduring their own challenging journeys.”
