Kate Beland

I felt like cancer had forced me to do other "uncomfortable" things instead of the bucket list I had chosen.

I know that once you are a cancer survivor, you're always a cancer survivor, but will that sinking feeling of no control ever go away?

There is no easy way to gain a sense of control when dealing with cancer. And we all definitely deal with it differently.

When I look in the mirror, I see that I am the byproduct of multiple surgeries. Sometimes, I feel as if I look like shark bait.

I think being an athlete is what saved my life.

I will relish that calm after the storm when I leave that hospital knowing it didn't break me.

Some of us fumble more than others. I was one of those emotional wrecks, wearing my emotions on my sleeve.

Maybe they'll be able to put the big girl pants on when life throws it's curve balls.

I miss the girl who was too self-absorbed to know real sorrow.

Because I am a lifelong learner and an educator at heart, I always feel the compelling need to share in case someone else out there might benefit from the fires I've walked through.

I really don't understand why some of us bear heavier burdens than others....

Today I feel as if I have some unfinished business, though I am not quite sure what it is.

I remember that moment feeling like I was in the middle of a fire, and it was going to eat me alive. But it did not. I found a way to get up; I found a way to rise up.

The state of the world is a major buzzkill right now...

I took a vacation from cancer. I didn't write about it; I didn't think about it; I just lived — out loud and joyfully.

If you really break it down, there are only two emotions that consume the world and all its living beings: love and fear.

With that first gasp of air, like you have been holding your breath the past 11 months, you realize you just might be a better person after all this cancer crap.

I am not a warrior who can handle anything. I am not the toughest person you know. I have no choice.

I ran this race last April knowing that something was not right with my body. I just knew...

I am sorry that you spent the summer watching me empty my drains and wondering when the heck those giant tubes would be pulled from my leg. I know I did my best to use discretion, but you still saw and still knew this had to do with cancer.

My children are intelligent, thoughtful and sensitive. In this case, telling the truth is not always in their best interest.

Cancer does not mean a death sentence. Many of us are walking around, living life with cancer.

Cancer benched me, but it's time to feel alive again and remember that I am much more than a person who is recovering from a disease.

I am not fearless. But, despite all that this disease has taken from me, I will fight to take something back.

December 10 was my New Year's Eve — it was full of hope and renewal.

My letter to Ty, a young man taken before his time.

I feel terror and beauty all around me, but it's OK to feel them both — they've gotten me this far.