Not a Lifetime movie sickness

Stacey shared her experience being a three-time cancer survivor and how the recurring adversity makes her strong and propels her to take the learnings from her own experience to help others recover. She also talks about how the phrase “cancer prevention” just doesn’t sit right with her and why her cancer experience does not conform to the typical Lifetime movie plotline.

I so enjoyed talking with Stacey about her cancer journey.  For someone who has had to go through the cancer experience three times already at such a young age, plus losing family members to cancer, her attitude about life is incredibly admirable. It’s also very inspiring to hear about how she channels the hardships she experienced to help others, and in turn, draws strength from giving back. 

A few thoughts about our conversation: 

She explained why the term cancer “prevention” can be problematic by inadvertently placing blame on survivors. I never thought about it that way before but as soon as she mentioned it, I knew it to be true just based on my past conversations with other survivors. Her message about not beating yourself up is so important because more often than not, it is not in our control. 

It was also interesting to hear her call out the fact that the media’s portrayal of cancer can be rather one-dimensional and the reality of how each person reacts to the treatments can vary a lot.  Cancer treatment for the most common types of cancer has improved significantly in the last few decades to become more effective and targeted, which allows patients to have a better quality of life. 

I know I was very grateful when we found that my dad’s first targeted therapy didn’t interfere with his life too much. Although that did change when he proceeded on to the second, third, and fourth lines of treatment. 

Please subscribe if you would like to hear more stories from cancer survivors, caregivers, and family members. You can let me know which topics you would like to hear more about or share any feedback about the show by going to http://talkaboutcancerpodcast.com. 

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