Personal Narrative: Cancer Is Like A Storm

Everyone hears the word “Cancer” and automatically thinks death? Imagine being told you have cancer a month before Christmas and having to start chemotherapy right away. That was me at age 16 barely a junior in High School, they say high school is supposed to be a great experience. And it was at the beginning which was my freshman and sophomore year. I was that girl athlete with lots of friends who went day by day not caring about my health I would eat lots of junk food and stay up late at night. I come from a Hispanic family single parent my mom and 4 siblings 3 girls and one boy. Two had already gotten married and there was only 3 left at home including me. My mom would work out in the fields so sometimes she 'd come home late, therefore

People tend to usually tremble when hearing the unpleasant word “Cancer”. Imagine being the one diagnosed with this horrible illness. More and more people in today’s society are struck with certain health issues such as diabetes, obesity, heart diseases and many more. Cancer is the at the top of this horrible chain of problems. Based on my experiences, someone that is diagnosed with cancer, does not realize how life can change so rapidly for them. Their whole lifestyle changes and they have a different outlook on life. Not until a person experiences a family member going through cancer, is he/she able to understand how important spending time with family really is.

Cancer has one of the biggest effects on the patients mental health but also the patients loved ones and friends. It is one of the hardest things to get a grip on when the doctor tells someone that they have cancer and a fifty-fifty chance of making it. "The disease can bring many changes-in what people do and how they look, in how they feel and what they value" (Dakota 4). It makes people look at the world and their lives in a different way, valuing now what they took for granted and seeing the bigger picture in every scenario. It is something that no one can actually brace, even after the doctor tells them. Through it all though, the person must remain strong and optimistic because the cancer can affect the person's moods and in return affect the outcome of the person and the chances of their making it

“Sarah has cancer,” is a phrase that changed my life. I was barely ten years old when my dad picked me up from volleyball practice to explain why my little sister had been in the hospital so much. At the time, Sarah was eight and had been in and out of hospitals and various doctor’s appointments over the past two months to try and figure out what was going on. Learning she had cancer was both a relief and burden. The feeling of relief occurred because now we finally knew what was wrong, but it was a burden because you hear about cancer in the elderly, not in eight year-old girls that love sports.

No one thinks that it will happen to them. No one thinks that one day it might be them walking into the doctor’s office, only to hear those three horrifying words – “You have cancer.” To say that cancer changed my life is an enormous understatement. Cancer took me on an insane roller coaster for two years.. turning, twisting, jerking. I never thought it would happen to me. I heard those three lethal words, but they were not spoken to me. My father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December of 2014.

Five years ago in 2012 my Aunt Mary died from cancer. Cancer had consumed her whole body. It started in her liver and spread to different organs and even reached her brain. When she found out she had cancer she was told she only had a few months to live. I had just seen her on a trip we had before we found out she had cancer and that was the last time I saw her.

However, most researches are not oblivious to the late effects of treatments given, such as chemotherapy and radiation. According to Wenninger, the aftermath of childhood cancer causes “chronic medical conditions and impairments in level of functioning and psychosocial outcomes” (Wenninger, 2013, p. 854).

One of the most difficult things I’ve ever experienced has been my battle with cancer. When I was 21 I was preparing to submit my mission papers. What was supposed to be a simple physical exam, turned into an unexpected battle. In October 31, 2013 my doctors diagnosed me with papillary cancer. I had surgery, and a couple weeks after had radiation treatment. Months later I was told I was cancer free, and I received my mission call. I was assigned to serve in the Colorado Denver South Mission. Unfortunately a week after I got my mission call, I was told that my cancer was back, and had actually spread to my lymph nodes; its next target would be my lungs, thus making my goal to serve a mission seem further from my reach. I went through the process

My father was put on chemo after chemo, radiation after radiation, pill after pill they all had different reactions to his body causing different things to happen for different reasons. Some would make him sick, some would make him feel like he was being electrocuted if he got cold, some made him happy, or even weak. No matter what reaction happened to his body, it didn’t get rid of the cancer if anything it made it spread. Soon the cancer was in many different organs of his

Unfortunately because of the disease, cancer patients and survivors have a very harsh physical toll taken on them that will last during, as well as many years prior to the disease. This includes a number of things; hair loss, loss of appetite, weight loss, muscle deterioration, lack of vitamin D, sleepiness, fatigue, and so much more! What makes all of these affects more sad is the fact that the patients can't do much about it. They are basically forced into this physical appearance that

With cancer being the second leading cause of death worldwide. This illness has had an impact of the lives of almost every person, and with cancer claiming the lives of both of my paternal grandparents, I am no exception to this statement. My grandparents did not survive their battle with cancer, mostly due to the under development of chronic diseases in my home country, Cuba. While Cuba has an exceptional infectious disease department, their chronic diseases does not provide the same results. I have personal connection with cancer. And this has led me to work to find better treatment options, that can be cheap and efficient, so that less developed countries can have access to better options.

Moreover, I am currently a long-term cancer survivor. Life became easier as the healing process progressed. During the early stages I struggled with the fear of chemotherapy

Receiving a potentially life-threatening diagnosis, such as cancer, has the potential to be an extremely stressful event and may have long-term effects. Depending on the diagnosis, many cancer patients may experience long-lasting, or chronic stress due to a variety of factors including receiving treatment, experiencing symptoms and side effects of treatment, waiting for test results, and learning that the cancer has recurred. Patients with cancer often report cancer-related posttraumatic stress (National Cancer Institute, 2012). According to the National Cancer Institute, patients who report cancer-related posttraumatic stress often experience repeated frightening thoughts, trouble sleeping, feeling detached from reality, fear, and helplessness (2012). Unfortunately, this stress negatively impacts immune functioning and can lead to tumor progression and metastasis (Hassan et al., 2013). If a cancer diagnosis is stressful, and evidence supports a negative impact of stress on cancer prognosis and recovery, then reducing the stress experienced by cancer patients will lead to better outcomes. Previous research identified social support as a major predictor of reduced stress levels in individuals with cancer (National Cancer Institute, 2012). Social support promotes psychological well-being and posttraumatic growth, a sharp contrast to posttraumatic stress. Posttraumatic growth is defined as the positive psychological change experienced after a highly challenging

After months of treatments such as chemo, often patients start questioning what’s next. Will I lose my hair? How fatigue will I become? Will I be nauseated? Will I experience pain? Body changes from cancer treatment can range from hair loss to the loss of a limb. These kinds of changes can be hard to handle because others can see them. Many people who lose hair choose to wear scarves, wigs, or hats. Some people choose artificial limbs (prostheses) and reconstructive surgery after cancer surgery. Both short- and long-term solutions like these draw less attention to or help hide a person’s physical differences (Coping with). Fatigue is the most common side effect of cancer treatment. Fatigue due to cancer treatment is different from everyday tiredness. It can occur suddenly (Coping with). Fatigue makes the arm and legs feel heavy and with all the fatigue they often don’t have to urge to eat. Fighting this disease makes the body sick, making the nausea unbearable to handle. With the right medication, nausea can be limited unless waited until the pain was severe. Making sure to plan ahead and getting all the right information regarding being sick is extremely important. Some patients with cancer do not experience cancer-related pain. Some patients experience pain associated with their cancer and its treatment. If cancer does cause pain, at some

Some people may go through worse if they lose their family members or close friends to cancer. They may find it difficult to resume life to as it was before their loss. Even the slightest sight or smell may trigger their memory of their late loved ones and this may make it difficult for them to put things behind and move on with their lives. For example, Peter Van Houten changed drastically after the death of his daughter due to cancer. He became an alcoholic, quit his job as a writer and turned into a mean, abrasive person.