What's the Best Advice You've Gotten on Dealing With Cancer?

Each week on its social media channels, CURE® asks its readers to share their thoughts with a #CureConnect discussion question. Recently, we asked: “What’s the best advice you’ve gotten on your cancer journey?” The responses ran the gamut from practical advice to heartfelt sentiments that we’re sharing here:

• “That you DO NOT have to be positive all the time! That it is okay to be mad, sad, laugh, cry, whatever you need to get through it. Suppressing feelings never helped anyone, this is a day at a time battle and each day is different.” - D.B.
• “Don’t let them treat you like a number!” — Y.H.
• “Don’t be afraid to ask for (or accept) help.” — D.C.
• “Stay off the damn internet!” — S.L.
• “You are going to Google the five-year survival stats no matter what anyone says, the key is then to remember you are a person, not a statistic and plan to be one of the survivors.” — H.E.
• “Don’t waste energy getting mad at people who say or do the wrong thing to you about cancer. People can be incredibly rude and ignorant, but they usually don’t mean to be. No one teaches “What to say to your cancer friend/daughter/coworker” in school. They just have no clue.” J.L.C.
• “Find your way to keep all your records in one portable place and ask for copies of everything. You think you’ll remember- but you won’t. Buy plastic utensils if you have chemo - you may be able to eat better without a metal taste from your fork.” — D.H.
• “Enjoy each day, do not sweat the small stuff.” — M.S.
• “Your cancer, your rules.” — M.V.
• “Take the time to make a good plan. The cancer’s been there awhile, gather the info you need to make a decision you can live with.” — A.G.
• “Listen to what everyone has to say but only keep and use what fits your lifestyle. There is no one ‘right’ way.” — T.G.
• “How to eat an elephant — one bite at a time.” – K.A.