Kathy Baker: My Faulty Gene has a two-part question for our cancer-free/NED friends
“Hearing that you are “CANCER FREE” is undoubtedly the goal of anyone facing a cancer diagnosis.
But as magic as those words are–words usually accompanied by a celebration–many of us don’t really feel free of cancer.
Our friends and loved ones often expect us to immediately transition back to the life we lived before our cancer diagnoses. Cancer should be behind us, right.
They don’t understand the “scanxiety” we experience in something as simple as a routine oncology checkup and bloodwork.
Some of us also face potentially lifelong issues in the form of neuropathies, lymphedema, and/or pain from surgeries–constant reminders of what cancer has done to our bodies.
And those with germline mutations that increase the risk of multiple cancers often feel like a ticking time bomb just waiting for the next cancer to happen.
My Faulty Gene has a two-part question for our cancer-free/NED friends: What are some of the issues you have faced post-cancer, and what are you doing to become “free of cancer”.
Your answers just might help others along their journeys.”
