Celebrating National Cancer Survivor Month

Whether someone is still a cancer patient, or they have already rung the bell, now is the perfect opportunity to celebrate all cancer survivors. June is Cancer Survivors Month, so it is an appropriate time to celebrate all 16.9 million cancer survivors across the country. It is also a great time for those who are fortunate enough to have not been affected by cancer, to learn about the hardships that come with being a cancer survivor.

There is a common misunderstanding that all worries or troubles go away when your cancer does. Many cancer survivors say that although they were relieved when treatment ended, it was hard to transition to a new way of life. It’s like entering an entirely different realm where there are new feelings, new struggles, new support systems, and a new world perspective. Survivorship is beautiful but it can also be very difficult.

Beating cancer conjures up all the emotions patients felt as they were fighting their cancer. Cancer takes its toll physically and mentally on patients and while being cancer free should be a breath of fresh air, it’s not as simple as that. Cancer survivors are forced to develop new coping mechanisms for their new way of life. They need to learn to survive with the fear of cancer recurrence, physical changes, relationship troubles, and many other obstacles.

This month of June let us celebrate all cancer survivors. At June E. Nylen Cancer Center we know that survivorship isn’t always easy, and we are here to help. If you are struggling with your survivorship and finding your new normal, learn more on our Survivorship webpage or contact our patient navigation team.  In honor of Cancer Survivors Month let us all educate ourselves to better understand what being a survivor truly means.