‘Many studies have shown that childhood and adolescent cancer survivors are at increased risk for chronic medical problems and emotional late effects as they age…’
Surviving Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) has been a lonely & challenging process. The reason I emphasize lonely is because nobody sits down and tells you whats going to happen to you mentally, spiritually, and physically after beating cancer. Surviving cancer is about quality of life (QOL).
I felt alone because the (hospital) staff don’t really know how to help you, your family just tell you what they think will make you happy, and most people who haven’t had cancer can’t fathom the things you are going through and think you should just be grateful to be alive.
From a mental standpoint you lose your confidence, you don’t feel normal, you feel like you need some other peers who are going through cancer like yourself to speak with, you have chemo brain, you are fighting with yourself mentally because you don’t understand why you are not thankful everyday for being alive instead of complaining so much, I didn’t fully process that I could of died, and trying to figure out how to catch up with the world because it seems like it has passed you by and you feel lost.
And that is just a few mental issues I dealt with. Spiritually I dealt with saying why me God, I can’t be this string God, I feel abandoned God, I feel lost in this world God, and feel vulnerable God. And physically I felt ugly, my skin color changed, my weight changed, my hair texture changed, my endurance changed, my strength changed, and so many more things changed. Plus the dreaded way people treat you and act around you is tough to swallow. And after all that in the back of your mind you still have that voice saying “you can still die from this cancer”. But I always remember this saying; “A bend in the road is not the end of the road…..unless you fail to make the turn.”
The post below was written by Nathan Mumford, PBC profile in courage.
To watch a YouTube video about Nathan, click here-
To go to Nathan’s Facebook page click here-
“Advances in cancer therapy have led to increased survival; there are more than 9 million 5-year survivors of cancer in the United States.1 As this number continues to grow, focus on improved health and quality of life becomes a priority. It is especially important in survivors of childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancer who have 5-year survival rates exceeding 80%1 and who are expected to live many decades after diagnosis and treatment.
Because of their young age at treatment, this population is the most vulnerable to long-term detrimental effects of cancer therapy. Many studies have shown that childhood and adolescent cancer survivors are at increased risk for chronic medical problems and emotional late effects as they age.2– 5These late effects influence overall health and quality of life.”
