Hi Everyone!

Reminder that November is National Family Caregivers Month, in addition to Lung Cancer, and Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month- everyone should be raising awareness and showing their support for these very important causes! 

In case you've missed out on what’s been going on at I Had Cancer, here is a quick recap. Please reach out to us if you have any questions, comments or requests for our team!

Recent Blog Posts (please email emily@ihadcancer.com to learn more)

• Please Don't Tell Me That My Mastectomy Was a Free Boob Job- There are a lot of misconceptions around mastectomies and the recovery process. In this blog post, one survivor tries to set the record straight. Read more.

   

• Life Gave Me (A Lot Of) Lemons, So I Made Lemonade- There are points in life that force us to grow up fast. For Erin, getting cancer as a child, and going through the hardships that followed, served as a testament to her strength as she continues to triumph over what comes her way. Read more about her experience below.

Recent Dear Cancer Messages (What do you have to say to cancer? Let it out.)

• "Dear Cancer, I beat you! But I don't feel like I suffered enough. I had a kidney removed because of you but I didn't need any treatments. I'm glad you were all encased in that 3cm tumor but I feel sometimes like I really didn't survive anything major. If I had needed treatments of some kind would I feel more like a survivor? I don't know. Please don't come back so I can find out. I listen to other people's stories and when they ask what treatment I had, I feel like I don't have much of a story to tell after that. I guess I need reassurance that I truly am a survivor. Dear cancer, don't get me wrong. I DON'T miss you. I just need to feel like everyone else-I survived and life goes on!" (click here to comment)

• "Dear Cancer, I beat you because I had a liver transplant. Others were not so lucky because I live in the USA, a country where most of the population are hypocrites who brag that they are saved or blessed and that Jesus is their personal savior BUT they refuse to donate their organs when they are dead. Even though those organs can save lives and will rot in the ground if you don't donate them and even though these mean-spirited hypocrites believe they are going to heaven, they still would rather see those organs wasted then save an innocent person." (click here to comment)  

Recent Facebook posts (Don't forget to Like us on FB!)

• "We had the opportunity to speak to a group of medical students at the American Medical Student Association's Fall Conference at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) on Saturday. Thank you so much to the four survivors and IHadCancer members who shared their stories and to these young, eager and compassionate future doctors. ‪#‎AMSAFallConf‬‪#‎IHCAMSA‬ ‪#‎DearDoctor‬" (I Had Cancer Facebook Page) 

• "Strive to lift yourself toward a place and time from which you may look back and know that you did everything in your power to be happy, be healthy, and survive. It's how I have lived since receiving my diagnosis and I think it's critical to me winding up on the right side of the 50% chance of recurrence that I've been given! This was a big wakeup call, and I've learned so much. For me, it was the end of my old life and start of my next!" - Todd, Pancreatic NET Cancer Survivor‪#‎WorldPancreaticCancerAwarenessDay‬ ‪#‎WageHope‬

  Connect with Todd: www.ihadcancer.com/tstempel" (I Had Cancer Facebook Page)

Recent Discussion Questions (Ask anything you want on our discussion board.)

• Does anyone have experience with lung cancer metastasized to the brain, undergoing resection, suffering a stroke, then enduring hydrocephalus to have shunt placed with persistent difficulty with dizziness and vomiting? I am a supporter/caregiver, this is my dad's case. Looking for some insight on treatments that worked or what I can expect next.  (click here to answer) 
• Greetings! Brand new member posting my first question. I'm sure someone has probably asked it before, but here goes~ As the parent of a child (no matter their age, they are always your baby) who was diagnosed with cancer, how do I deal with the constant fear and anxiety of the cancer coming back or a new cancer developing? (click here to answer)

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Thanks for all of your support.
 -The IHC Team