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Share Your Story

Share Your Story Submissions

There are so many questions that come with a cancer diagnosis — questions about treatment, side effects, caregiving, survivorship and more.
Your stories help us achieve our mission of combining science and humanity to make cancer understandable.
To share your story, submit it via a Word document to editor@curetoday.com for your chance to have your story highlighted here, and please be sure to include "Share Your Story" in the subject line.
CURE® accepts submissions of personal essays from readers relating to their own cancer experience. Submission of your work to CURE® does not guarantee publication. CURE® does not offer compensation for general submissions.
Submissions shall:

  • Consist of 500-800 words.
  • Be submitted to editor@curetoday.com as an attachment in a Word document.
  • Consist of original work created entirely by you and of which all rights belong to you. The work should not have been published elsewhere or currently submitted elsewhere.
  • Not violate any person or entity’s copyright, trademark, or right of privacy or any other right.

Check out the prompts below and choose the question that resonates most with you.

  • What unexpected lesson(s) did cancer teach you?
  • What is one thing you wish friends and family knew about your cancer diagnosis?
  • Share the story of your diagnosis — how does what you feel then differ from how you feel now?

CURE® reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity, content, and length and in accordance with CURE®’s style guide and standards. By submitting your work to CURE®, you acknowledge that the ownership of the copyright rights in any edited version belong to CURE® as an original creation of a derivative work. You also acknowledge that if you submit work elsewhere, you will not have the right to use CURE®’s edited version without CURE®’s prior written permission.

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After being diagnosed with breast cancer, I learned more about the disparities that Black women with the disease face.

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Many well-meaning people wanted to hug me after hearing of my rectal cancer diagnosis, but I’m not a very touchy person. So, loved ones supported me in other ways.

My 4-Year-Old Taught Me to Live with My Heart as Well as My Head During Cancer

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Group Cancer Therapy Turned Panic Into Gratitude

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My cancer support group was as important to my cure and healing as my oncologist and surgeon.

The Meaning of Mindfulness During Cancer

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When mindfulness was first recommended when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, I scoffed. But now, years later, I know how important a tool it can be.

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An Ode to My Daughter During My Cancer Experience

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My Breast Cancer Support Group Offered Me Advice, Camaraderie

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My Care Team Got My Through My Breast Cancer Experience

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Cancer Helped Me Acknowledge and Appreciate My Dual Identity

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Dealing With Life-Changing Cancer My Own Way

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Laughing in Silence and Stillness During Cancer

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I Was Unprepared for the Emotional Toll of Cancer

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After I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and told I needed a colectomy, I knew I’d face physical and financial difficulties after the surgery, but I did not anticipate the emotional toll of my diagnosis.

I Wish I Advocated More When Doctors Told Me I Didn’t Have Cancer

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On multiple occasions, doctors told me not to worry, but I ended up being diagnosed with a rare cancer called leiomyosarcoma.

An Unexpected Lesson from Cancer

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The best of humanity met me at the worst time of my life when I found “my people” after receiving a stage 4 colorectal cancer diagnosis.

Cancer Talk

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We cancer survivors are complicated — not more complicated than others who have faced their mortality head-on, but there’s a certain bucket we get put in when we let others know about our diagnoses.

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Chemotherapy affected my brain in ways that I was never told about.

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Cancer Is Like a Race, and I’m Determined to Win

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I exercised and ate healthy, yet still received a cancer diagnosis, leaving me wondering, “why me?”

Everyone Thought I’d Be ‘Better’ After Cancer Treatment, But I Still Struggle

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Now that I’m six years out of my breast cancer treatment, people assume that I’m better and lack empathy. However, my anxiety is still high.

Living Life Between Cancer Appointments

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When cancer entered our life, fear was a constant. However, we tried to live as joyously as possible between check-ups.

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