#cancer fighter

[thisiswhatafighterlookslike]

The Pressure To Be Brave

"You Are So Brave!" How often have we heard this said to us? Most times, people truly mean well when they say this. They are doing their best to be encouraging from their perspective of things. However, for many of us who are surviving cancer daily, those four words are filled with so much pressure and expectation.

When people see us maintaining our lives, managing families, enduring all the craziness that comes with living with this disease, they see bravery! Well, there is truth to that. But the real truth is we are just giving our all to live every day and live our best! It takes a lot of work just to maintain our "normal" lives.

Am I a superhero?

Indeed, we are strong and courageous. We fight uncommon battles for our lives absolutely every day. However, knowing that people can see you as this 'cancer superhero' and being given this subconscious permission to be brave, #BeatCancer, #KickCancersButt, #FightLikeAGirl, and all the other awesome hashtags can be overwhelming!

We didn't choose this fight

We definitely appreciate the love and encouragement! But the reality is that some days we are just SICK! There is nothing we can do about it and to be honest, we don't even have the energy to do anything. We get weak. Not tired but fatigued; downright exhausted! We have mood swings. We battle depression and sometimes it actually fights back...and wins! LOL!!!!

We deal with feeling isolated and alone. We are oftentimes in pain. We are in agony, and it doesn't always go away. Some of us live in pain. We lose weight and we gain weight! We lose our hair, our precious hair! Until you have experienced this, you just have no idea what this does to someone. We think about our mortality more times than the average person does.

Tell me it's going to be okay!

So, it's not that we don't want to be told we are brave. Here is the thing, we know living with cancer requires a special measure of bravery. We know we are brave. But it would mean so much more if we heard, "It's going to be okay", "it's ok to feel how you are feeling", or "no matter how you feel today, I will be here to help and support you!"

Our loved ones believe they keep us strong by coaching us through this and pushing us. If they just speak positively and keep us thinking about how we "should" think then we will feel and live how we are supposed to. Please remember we are human beings with real feelings, who happen to be surviving cancer daily. Just let us be that that's how we are Brave!

Leya R. Elijah

This Is What a Fighter Looks Like

CEO/Founder

#thisiswhatafighterlookslike. #be brave #cancer fighter #ovarian cancer warrior #ovarian cancer #endometriosis #endowarrior #breast cancer #breastcancersurvivor #surviving #surviving cancer #be encouraged #multiple sclerosis #mswarrior #chroniclymphocysticleukemia #fight leukemia #leukemia #blood cancer #bloodcancer #leukemia support #leukemia survivor #ovarian cancer survivor #lung cancer #fcancer #kickcancersbutt. #encouraging words #be strong #staystrong #fighting cancer #fightlikeagirl

[space-ghost-with-the-most]

Hello! I hope I'm not being intrusive, my fundraising is slow, my time is limited, I don't have enough reach, I really need your help, could you help me spread the word (pinned post) or donate what you can? every dollar allows me to get my infusions, tests and medications on time.

Everything's depressing and all my coping mechanisms are failing. 😭

Kindly help as much as you can.

I'm so sorry about your situation, I don't have enough money to donate right now (I just got a job due to some situation stuff), but of course I'll help spread the word! Hang in there dude!!

#cancer #fundraising #medical #fundrasier #paypal #health #medicine #health care #cancer fighter #survival

[nature-godsgardenofeden]

parsley - cancer fighter secret ♥ https://budwigcenter.com/can-parsley-help-fight-against-cancer/?

#parsley #cancer fighter #cancer prevention #cancer #budwig #GodsGardenOfEden #nature #god's creation #gods creation #health and wellness #healthy #wellness #health #natural #food #healthy food

[naku-nanako]

ジャスミン、安らかに眠れ。私たちはあなたを愛してます。(Rest well, Jasmine. We love you)

#rest in peace #fly high #artists on tumblr #art #anime art #anime style #fanart #friend fanart #cancer fighter #leukemia #ibispaintx #ibispaint art #nakunanakonako

[cherrylicious-dreams]

4 months since my surgery and I thought I was doing good for some time. And then my health started declining rapidly. I tried to keep all the normal things I usually do, work out 5x a week, count calories, work, socialise, take care of my pets. But honestly I hardly have any energy. My body feels so unwell that I hardly make it through the day. I am having a really hard time adjusting to the thyroid hormone medicine and while I find the right dosage I have to cope with this version of myself. And I often find myself frustrated, wanting the energy to do everything and not feel exhausted. I am 26 for fuck sake, you know? I wanna live and I can't.

#papillary thyroid cancer #cancer fighter #my cancer story #cancer survivor #thyroid cancer #cancer free

[starfangssecrets]

Hey everyone! My best friend, DrekkDeina, and his wife need help. His wife, Allie, is battling cancer and anything will help—even just sharing the link. Thank you 💜

#cancer #cancer fighter #cancer GoFundMe #gofundme #let’s kick it i to the dirt!! #fuck cancer

[startmetric]

National Cancer Awareness Day is observed on November 7 in India. The day highlights the significance of increased awareness about cancer prevention and early detection for the public.

#cancer #cancer patients #cancer fighter #cancer survivor

[yourpoeticpunkrocky]

Mylee Yc said, "Yesterday I did, Today I can, Tomorrow I Will. To be human is to be imperfect and to be vulnerable is to be strong."

#Mylee Yc #cancer fighter #cancer survivor #optimisim #Positive Possibility Thinking #Don't Give Up #Never Lose Hope

[narmin2892]

Guys, I know this is a lot to ask. Please share and donate if you can🙏. My mum starts her treatment from next week, flys this weekend hopefully. We've put all our savings together to start it off but unfortunately it won't cover the whole treatment. We really need this, we need to give her a chance to survive.

I'm scared and anxious that this week might be the last time I see her but I'm trying to remain hopeful 🙏💙💚💛🧿

#cancer fighter #cancer patients #peritoneal cancer #cancer #strong #ovation cancer #cancer patient #mother #woman

[bumpintheboob]

just a bump in the boob?

It’s been a while since I last posted. The past six years have been full of change, except on the cancer front (which is a good thing). I went through follow up exams every three months, then six, and finally, annual appointments. Mammograms, ultrasounds, and MRIs have been intermixed to evaluate my still-dense breast (I typed “s” at the end then deleted). Normal. Normal. Normal. Test after test. 

I stopped getting regular MRIs because my medical oncologist was concerned with reports that the gadolinium-based contrast potentially causes memory issues. As I was already having chemotherapy-induced and chemopause-induced cognitive dysfunction, we felt more comfortable cutting back on the MRIs. 

The last time I had an MRI, I think it was to check out something I detected related to my left implant. Everything came back normal. During my most recent follow up, I mentioned how I still feel something scraping, pulling, and sometimes “zinging” behind my left implant. Since I was only in Phoenix for a short period of time, my med onc gave me an order for an MRI, which I would get when I got back home.

I’m working back at the cancer center in Northern Indiana where I originally trained 10+ years ago. My office is literally above imaging, the MRI to be exact. I hear it beeping throughout the day and I swear the magnets in the machine mess with my computers and mouse. I scheduled the appointment, which was in the evening on September 20th. I had time to run home, take care of Chloe, record a podcast episode (oh, yeah, it’s been a while. I co-host a podcast, and yes, it’s about cancer), then drive 5 minutes to the hospital and undergo the MRI. Before I left, the tech asked where I had previously received my imaging so they had something to compare. 

It seemed to take forever for me to get my results. I’m used to the rapid results I would get when I was at the cancer center in Arizona. I sent a message through the patient portal, asking if they had received the results. I started to get nervous and scanxiety set in. 

On September 26th, I recorded a new podcast episode. Tina (my co-host) interviewed me for our breast cancer awareness month episodes. I told parts of my story and she asked some really good questions. Sometime while we were recording, I got a message from a nurse at the Arizona hospital to call her back for my MRI results. I thought that was strange, that she didn’t leave the result on my voicemail, but it’s not my voice on the message, so maybe it was for HIPAA reasons. I called back and left a message for someone to call me. I drove over to my friend, Anne’s house, to drop something off and I and mentioned how I hadn’t heard anything yet about the MRI results. I decided to call right then and, over speakerphone, got ahold of the nurse.

I don’t know exactly how she told me, but the nurse said something about wanting to get an ultrasound and biopsy of something in my right breast. My right breast. My native breast. My “normal” breast. I panicked. They’ll send an order for my imaging and biopsy to the cancer center here. I lost it. This isn’t possible. I’m on tamoxifen. I was told I didn’t need to continue it beyond five years and I chose to stay on it for a total of ten. I’m on tamoxifen. I tried to talk myself down. “At least it’s in the breast and not the bone right?” I laughed. The nurse didn’t. Anne drove me home in my car because I was not in a good state of mind.

I’ve been frantically checking my portal for a message that the order has been placed. I’ve sent a couple of messages to my Arizona team. It seems like weeks but it’s only been two days. I’ve gone through every scenario as to what this could be. When I was first in treatment, two spots were noted in my right breast and they were able to biopsy one (the other "vanished” when they attempted an MRI-guided biopsy) and it was a fibroadenoma. An actual fibroadenoma, not the adenocarcinoma that pretended to be a fibroadenoma in my left breast. That’s what they are seeing (I look up what enhances on a breast MRI, yes, could be a fibroadenoma), it’s a fibroadenoma. Or it’s cancer. Maybe it’s not hormone receptor positive like my former tumor, maybe it’s hormone receptor negative which would be why the tamoxifen didn’t affect it. Maybe it’s hormone negative and HER-2 receptor positive. I ran through all of the potential treatment options. Where would I get treatment? Do I go back to Oregon or to my team in Arizona? Or treat here in Indiana, where I have many friends but am so far from family.

(I just opened another tab to log in to my portal to check for messages. The fourth or fifth time today).

And so I wait, and try not to let my mind go to dark and scary places. But it does. And I talk my way back. It’s going to be fine. It’s going to be normal. It’s just a little bump in the boob.

#cancer patients #breast cancer #Cancer Fighter #cancer survivor #bumpintheboob

[thisiswhatafighterlookslike]

August is #nationalwellnessmonth and one of the most important keys to our wellness is Happiness! This is also #nationalhappinesshappensmonth 😊😊 Your happiness, your joy and peace are emotions and feelings that you INTENTIONALLY Choose! No matter what’s going on in your life. And the best part is that you get to choose to make that choose what happens in your life and how your life blesses others! I’m reminded of the children’s cartoon, “Winnie the Pooh.” Winnie had this light and joy inside of him that affected everyone and everywhere he went! Nothing could change that because he chose that happiness and that outlook on life. However there was the donkey Eeyore! Omg he just was the dark cloud in everyone’s day!! He was set in how he was and how he saw life and people. As you go through your day, your week, your month and life… evaluate what you have chosen for yourself! What is your intention emotionally and mentally? What do you choose? How do you want your life to be and what do you want to receive from this life? Whatever you want is inside of you to create! Now let’s Make It Happen!!!

~Leya~

#happiness #happinesshappensmonth #smile #beinspired #behappy #justlive #joy #be in the moment #beintentional #choosejoy #thisiswhatafighterlookslike #survivor stories #nationalhappinesshappensmonth #nationalwellnessmonth #wellness #justsmile #coping #cancer fighter

[apollocbcc]

Lung Cancer Awareness

Regular screening is imperative even if it doesn’t reveal any health problems. It may alert you about potential issues that may arise, and can thus help you prevent them.

Reach out to us and avail best services and dedicated treatment procedures.

Apollo CBCC Cancer Care, Ahmedabad is one of the best cancer hospitals in India. At Apollo CBCC Cancer Care, we have a specialised team of consultants for treating lung cancers. If you are experiencing any of the signs and symptoms mentioned above, consult with our lung cancer specialist today.

If you have any cancer-related queries, book your appointment https://apollocbcc.com/make-an-appointment

#lung cancer #lung cancer awareness #cancer fighter #cancer survivor #cancer support #cancer screening #cancer patients #cancer treatment #cancer hospital #lungcancersurvivor #apollo hospitals #apollo cbcc cancer care

[everalii]

I lost my favorite aunt to kidney cancer last month, and it's been difficult.

She was my second mother, whom I went if I ever needed help. Thanks and inspired by her, I came out as bissexual years ago. She taught me so much... And I lost her.

Grief is indeed selfish, but I miss her so fucking much... She was do vivid, beautiful, fun and had such a good energy.

She never had kids on her own, always said I was her baby. She passed peacefully surrounded by family and friends she loved, at home. I guess she couldn't beat my grandma's passing last year.

But anyway, I promised I was going to take care of cat and her car, and I'm doing my best. I hope she's healthy and happy wherever she is.

I love you, auntie. Forever and ever.

With love, Lilica

#loss #stages of grief #cancer fighter

[cherrylicious-dreams]

Battle scar.

#papillary thyroid cancer #my cancer story #cancer fighter #thyroid cancer #cancer survivor #cancer scar #cancer free