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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.

Your Recent Stories

To My Loved Ones, ‘You’ve Held the Pause Button Long Enough’ During My Cancer Journey

June 1st 2022

After I was diagnosed with cancer, I started to feel like a burden to my loved ones. So, I wrote a letter urging them to continue on with other aspects of their lives.

My Cancer Advocacy Keeps My Mom’s Legacy Alive

May 23rd 2022

After my mom died of colon cancer, I became an advocate with the hopes that fewer people would be lost to the disease.

How Naming My Lifesaving Ostomy Helped Me Gain Confidence and Find Body Positivity

May 19th 2022

After being diagnosed with colorectal cancer, my ostomy — which I named Toodles — opened up a world of body positivity for me.

If I Can Save One Life By Telling My Cancer Story, It Was All Worth It

May 18th 2022

After being diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer, I made it a mission to share my story and help others.

The Role of Willpower in Battling Cancer

May 9th 2022

My dad was always strong willed, and I think that helped him face aggressive, late-stage cancer.

Let It Go: A Popular Disney Song Taught Me How to Live After Cancer

March 25th 2022

I let go of knowing I won’t ever be without anxiety of my cancer growing again and let go of the idea of any “old me” returning. I was now focusing on the “new me.”

3 Stages of Coping With Cancer: There Are Better Days Ahead

March 3rd 2022

When I was first diagnosed with a stage 4 neuroendocrine tumor in my small intestine, I went through three stages of coping with my cancer: anger, planning and living life.

Families Need to Be More Open About Cancer Risks, Because it Could Save the Life of Someone You Love

February 24th 2022

Last year, my wife died of triple-negative breast cancer that was caused by a genetic mutation. If her family risk was discussed more openly, she — and many others with an inherited predisposition to cancer — may still be here today.

My Cancer Diagnosis Led Me to Discover a Family I Didn’t Know I Had

February 23rd 2022

After being diagnosed with stage 2 colorectal cancer, I discovered that I had two sisters — and a family predisposition to cancer.

I’m Not a Cancer Warrior or Fighter, I’m a ‘Traveler’

February 2nd 2022

A brain cancer survivor explains how she found a way to navigate her cancer journey as a traveler, grateful to be alive.

My Dad’s Death From Cancer Forced Me Out of the Shadows and Into a Spotlight of Advocacy

January 31st 2022

A teenager from Pennsylvania whose father died from colorectal cancer explains the impact it had on her life and how she has stepped into the field of advocacy to help others.

How Unexpected Bleeding Lead to a Cervical Cancer Diagnosis: 'I Was Shocked'

January 17th 2022

One woman explains how after experiencing irregular bleeding, she found out she had cervical cancer and her life changed immediately.

How Bone Strengtheners Led to a Dental Care Nightmare for One Patient With Cancer

January 10th 2022

A woman living with stage 4 cancer explains her painful experience with dental issues that came as a result of cancer treatment.

How an Oncology Social Worker Answers the Question, ‘Why Do You Do What You Do?’

December 19th 2021

An oncology social worker, who is also a cancer survivor, describes life lessons learned through work and personal experiences.

An Against-the-Odds Cancer Story Can Be Yours

November 28th 2021

A cancer survivor explains the miracle of finding out the brother she hadn't seen in 30 years was a genetic match to donate stem cells for her treatment.

What Can Happen if You Let Your Guard Down to Cancer

November 21st 2021

A woman describes the day she was diagnosed with breast cancer, which flipped her life upside down.

The Chef Who Lost His Stomach to Cancer

November 9th 2021

“The Next Food Network Star” runner-up shares his struggles with nutrition after a stomach cancer diagnosis and gastrectomy.

A Patient With Cancer's Gratitude for Clinical Trials

October 24th 2021

A stage 4 metastatic breast cancer survivor describes her experience with a clinical trials and how they changed the trajectory of her life.

Hope and Positivity May Help Lead to Recovery

October 23rd 2021

A retired registered nurse with tremendous compassion for patients writes a poem about how keeping hope alive throughout cancer treatment can help people recover.

3 Things Cancer Survivors Need to Remember: From Someone Who Has Been There

October 4th 2021

“Spending over a third of my life as a cancer survivor, I’ve learned a few lessons along the way,” said Lacey, who was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia 13 years ago.

The Emotional Trauma of Breast Cancer: ‘Can Anybody Hear Me?’

October 3rd 2021

A breast cancer survivor explains that many people deal with long-term emotional trauma as a result of their cancer experience and argues that more should be done to address it.

Cancer and Ostomies: A World Ostomy Day Perspective

October 2nd 2021

A bladder cancer survivor discusses the importance of World Ostomy Day and shares her own ostomy story.

10 Helpful Tips for Cancer Caregivers

September 28th 2021

A retired oncology social worker shares some helpful tips for being a supportive caregiver while also maintaining your own well-being. “Caregiving is compassion in action,” he writes.

With Cancer, Quality of Time Matters More Than Quantity

September 21st 2021

A woman describes how caring for her mother, who has stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, drastically changed her life and her priorities.

As a 13-Time Cancer Survivor, I’m Not Doing Too Badly

September 19th 2021

A 13-time cancer survivor shares his complex, long and frustrating cancer journey, and explains how he is able to keep hope alive.

Fear of Dying From Cancer Shouldn't Stop You From Living

September 16th 2021

Through the emotions and anxiety of cancer, she realized she was not living her life to the fullest, and that it isn't over yet.

Moving Forward With Life As a Two-Time Cancer Survivor

September 13th 2021

How do you move on with life after cancer? A two-time breast cancer survivor expresses her hopes and fears in the form of a poem.

Cancer Is a Strange, Unconventional Fairy Tale

September 12th 2021

A woman with breast cancer describes her cancer journey as an unconventional fairy tale, with hope scattered within the darkness.

Living With a 'Carpe Diem' Mentality in the Face of Cancer

September 10th 2021

A woman who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2012 explains how she prevents cancer from taking over her life in her poem, 'Carpe Diem.'

'Smell the Rain,' and Make Yourself Smile Despite Cancer

September 9th 2021

A poem about cancer written by a man who subsequently died of the disease explores the idea of finding the small joys in life despite the pain of cancer and treatment.

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