Jane Biehl Ph.D.

Jane is a ten-year survivor of a very rare form of cancer Myelodysplastic Syndrome. She has enjoyed several exciting careers including a librarian, counselor, teacher, and writer. She loves to write about surviving cancer, overcoming hearing loss, and her hearing ear service dog, Sita.

I admit that fall is my favorite time of the year. There is nothing more beautiful than driving or walking on a sunny fall day and marveling at the changes in the leaves. Maybe part of the reason I feel this way is because I am a fall (October), baby.

But I recently read a wonderful quote by Albert Camus 

.” As I read this, it occurred to me that this quote can also be used about cancer survivors.

Before we were diagnosed, many of us felt like spring. Unless we had other health issues, we were full of energy; had very full days and our bodies were under our control. At least this is what we thought, which might have been an illusion. As some of us began to age and experienced aches and pains it was comparable to the summer season as the cycle came to an end.

Then, the cold weather and frost hit us. We were battered, blown around by hard winds, and our bodies made significant changes. They were pummeled with tests, surgeries, radiation, chemo and other treatments. We felt like we were attacked from every corner and emerged bruised and weary.

But then something wondrous occurred. When we came out on the other side, we were more beautiful than ever before. We were different from the spring beauty. We grew and developed in many ways. We learned to appreciate every day as a gift. We cherished and held close to our family and friends.

We celebrated every occasion we can. We are breathtaking just like the fall leaves and have become flowers. Sometimes we wish we could be spring again or even summer – but we are beautiful just the way we are!

Articles

A cancer survivor compares our collective cancer journey to the season of autumn.

A Comparison of Autumn and Cancer

I think every one of us feels overwhelmed these dark days during this difficult year.

Every one of us has a personal story of struggle. I have several friends who have had awful things happen to them. Some have been diagnosed with cancer, others have had painful surgeries and still others have lost loved ones during this pandemic, and are unable to have memorial services or closure. Many people are going hungry, lost their jobs and are food insufficient. Children don’t know from one day to the next whether the school is in-person or remote, and parents have to face difficult decisions no one should ever have to make.

I have been fortunate not to deal with the tragedies many people have. Nevertheless, I find myself tiring more easily and needing to take naps. I feel sad and lethargic. I have constant anxiety and insomnia and I found some tips that helped me to understand why.

Most of us have taken at least one psychology class and we remember that reaction to any type of danger or stress or trauma is to fight, freeze or flee. Pure adrenaline which protects us during times of danger causes physiological changes such as a beating heart, fast breathing, increased blood pressure and other medical symptoms. When the initial crisis is over, our bodies slowly return to a normal heartbeat, breaths and blood pressure.

In many crises such as tornadoes, wildfires and hurricanes the danger may last, at the most, a few days. I am not talking about cleanup, which is another subject, but we are not in constant danger.Whereas, with COVID-19, we have gone for months with wondering if we will be exposed, not knowing when the crisis will end, and constant reminders, such as everyone wearing masks, that this is very real.

Then I look at cancer survivors. We experience the initial diagnosis and treatment, but eventually go back to a semi normal. However, the anxiety and dread of treatment and possible recurrence for some are always there just like with COVID. Now everyone in the world is experiencing what we already knew from facing our disease.

Go easy on yourself just like you did when first diagnosed with cancer.I am an overachiever, and still feel guilty for sleeping too long and taking naps. I did this daily during treatments and now with COVID-19, I just retreat to my bed. It is a natural and healthy reaction. Even more insight is presented by the wise Dalai Lama – “Sleep is the best meditation.”

So whether it is a response to cancer, other traumas or COVID-19, go ahead and sleep and meditate. Our bodies and minds will thank us for it!

A cancer survivor explains why those of us who face cancer and now COVID-19 feel the way we do when confronting an ongoing crisis.

Why Are We So Overwhelmed?

I, like most people, enjoy hearing birds sing and watching them fly. My parents had birdfeeders in the yard, and we would watch them all the time. However, I never knew how intelligent they were until I toured a bird sanctuary.

The shelter took sick and injured birds from all over the country and rehabilitated them. The presenter convinced me that birds are way more intelligent than given credit for. Scientists are studying them and what interested me the most, was how social they are and how they help each other out. I am one of those people who constantly say I like animals better than some people and now I can add birds to that list.

There is a unique type of bird that is mostly found in the southwest U.S. including Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, and Texas. The Harris Hawk is a very sociable animal and hangs out in small family groups. They hunt together, keep watch for predators and even band together to raise the younger birds — it takes a village!

What I found most interesting is that they are what is known as “back stackers.” This movement can be compared to the pyramid setup in cheerleading. They stand on each other's backs if there isn’t enough room to perch, and three or four of them on top of each other look out over the arid desert watching for predators.

I think about how these creatures serve and help each other, and then I think about people. Admittedly there are some not so nice people in the world but as a cancer survivor, I have had many “stackers” to help me. I have stood on the backs of people who risked clinical trials to be sure the various chemotherapy treatments I received were safe. I have stood on the backs of the great doctors and nurses who sacrifice everything, even amid a dangerous pandemic, to help me. I have stood on the backs of other cancer survivors to inspire me. And I certainly have stood on the backs of family and friends and church people who support me. I also have attempted to provide a back for others to stand on too.

So, cancer survivors, when you get down and discouraged as we all do, think of these birds that assist each other and the people who have helped you along your journey. It may make life just a little easier on those down days.

Then there are the days others need us. Look at the view like these great hawks do and help each other!

There are some amazing studies that show how certain birds help each other in times of need. For us cancer survivors, we should be like these birds and help each other more. 

Cancer Survivors, Be Like the Birds and Help Each Other

During my long 10-year cancer journey I have had the pleasure of meeting many cancer survivors. Honestly, this is one of the few plusses from having this insidious disease. I have watched people survive unbelievable assaults on their bodies ranging from surgeries, to radiation, to chemo, to bone marrow transplants.

Somehow, they keep on going, putting one foot in front of the other and spend a lot of time (which they know is precious) reaching out and helping others. I also go weekly to the infusion floor for shots at the cancer center. Some patients are obviously very ill, but still manage a cheery greeting to the nurses and me.

I wonder how they do it. Then, I remember a favorite professor in my rehabilitation counseling classes for my master’s degree. She taught a favorite class called “Psychosocial Aspects of Disability.” I learned an incredible amount about working with people with disabilities.

The first lesson she taught us involved four simple words: DO NOT PITY THEM. She explained the difference between empathy and sympathy. She instilled in us we were not training as counselors to “help” people, but to teach them how to help themselves.

After I graduated and worked in a vocational agency for people with disabilities, I would tell my clients that this was like a baseball game. My agency would provide them with the tools to succeed like training, job coaches, special computer equipment and devices. But it was up to them to hit a home run or strikeout and try again. Landing and keeping the job was up to them.

Another thing I remember this wise professor teaching us was that people with disabilities (or cancer) are like a bumblebee. There is no scientific way a bumblebee should be able to fly, but it does. And no one understands how.

Aerodynamically a bumblebee should not be able to fly, but it doesn’t know this, so it keeps on flying anyway. A.S. Waldrop has written an amazing poem, “The Bumblebee Cannot Fly,” on this topic.

But the bumblebee doesn’t know this fact,

losing faith or hope God’s proof that the

When I read this poem, I think of all the people I have been privileged to know with disabilities and cancer. Today, many people are coping with COVID-19 and terrible losses. And yet, they somehow manage to go on and fly. They may not know how, but they do. I appreciate all the people I worked with who had horrible disabilities, and all the people with cancer I have met who are true survivors.

Thank you all for teaching the rest of us to fly!

Cancer survivors are like bumblebees in that they continue to go on and fly despite the countless obstacles they face. 

Author | Jane Biehl Ph.D.

A Comparison of Autumn and Cancer

Why Are We So Overwhelmed?

Cancer Survivors, Be Like the Birds and Help Each Other

What Do People With Cancer and Bumblebees Have in Common?