Share Your Story

My name is Beth Kramer, and I am 58 years old. Over the past 15 years, I have faced the life-altering words, “you have cancer,” not once, but three times.

I live with cancer, but I don’t let it define me. I choose to define my story by courage, trust, and hope.

I am profoundly, fiercely grateful for every day beyond that harrowing diagnosis. But gratitude is not silence, and survival is not a finish line.

Chuck Stravin shares 10 practical, patient-centered tips for managing emotions, information, and routines in the first days after a cancer diagnosis.

When most people think about cancer, they think about survival. What they don’t often consider is what survival costs.

Reach out to professionals, go to safe online sources, contact your local cancer support center. I hope these tools help you as they have helped me.

I was 46 years old the summer I discovered I had cancer; my children were 11 and 8. I was determined to live because my kids still needed their mama.

Living with an incurable cancer that resists durable remission means holding hope and grief at the same time — existing between promising data and lived experience.

I share how an overlooked symptom led to my anal cancer diagnosis and why speaking openly about risks, stigma and symptoms can help others seek care sooner.

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I accepted there would be things I couldn’t completely control.

I explain how the words caregiver and incurable shaped my wife’s cancer journey and why I believe more hopeful language better reflects our experience.

Only 5% to 10% of breast cancers are caused by inherited gene mutations like BRCA1 or BRCA2. I do not carry one. But my family history was enough.

Hearing the words “you have cancer” while carrying a baby felt like my whole world stopped.

A woman shares how vision loss led to her cancer diagnosis and how lifestyle changes, support and community helped her regain control after her cancer had spread.

An opportunity to shine in a day filled with beauty, grief and gratitude, all dolled up in vintage pinup style.

A cancer survivor explains how humor helped her during her cancer journey.

It wasn’t that I never expected a breast cancer diagnosis, it was that I had never even considered a breast cancer diagnosis.

After a surprise diagnosis at 47, salon owner Christa Messmer found strength, faith and renewed meaning in life while facing colorectal cancer.

During her radiation treatments, Sister Monica Marcinak found grace, humor and deep compassion among fellow patients and caregivers facing cancer together.

I was sitting in my oncologist's office, listening to her explain my treatment plan, when a strange thought crossed my mind: this feels familiar.

I faced breast cancer and unexpected body changes with resilience and humor, learning to adapt and find strength in the process.

After a stage 3b rectal cancer diagnosis, one patient endured radiation, chemotherapy, surgery, and complications, relying on resilience, advocacy and support.

It is very important to let the world know that no matter how healthy you think you are, if you have lungs, you can potentially develop lung cancer.

After an blood cancer diagnosis and stem cell transplant, I found purpose in crochet, turning fear into creativity and connection one stitch at a time.

After surviving brain surgery, I found clarity, strength, and unexpected joy; facing my fears became the turning point, not the diagnosis.

After brain surgery for a malignant tumor, I faced fears, found strength, and embraced living in the moment as I begin treatment and healing.

Even six years after brain tumor surgery, invisible symptoms like brain fog and memory loss shape how I live, cope, and find gratitude every day.

Facing leukemia and uncertainty, I leaned on love and resolve to keep living day by day, despite fear and an unknown future ahead.