What Helped Me Get Through 15 Years of Cancer

Jane Biehl is a 12-year survivor of a very rare form of blood cancer, known as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Catch up on all of Jane’s blogs here!

Recently, our editor at CURE asked the blog writers to share what passions helped each of us through cancer and treatments. I'd also like to add the additional stress of COVID and the pandemic to the past 15 years I've lived with my blood cancer (MDS).

I was first diagnosed in 2010 with this devastating illness. I was forced to quit two jobs I loved, counseling children and college teaching. After ending my 30-year career as an adjunct faculty member, I became deeply depressed. I then asked my oncologist if there was a magazine I could author articles for, and she mentioned CURE. Now, in 2025, I have written 245 articles on my cancer journey, but who's counting?

When COVID hit in 2020, I was profoundly affected. I live alone in my apartment but am very social, going out with people almost every day. If I don't have a scheduled meeting or lunch date, I take my little dog to the nearest coffee shops where she is very well known. I also did this with my previous service dog. My siblings, along with my nieces and nephews, live out of state. For the first time ever, I didn't have face-to-face support from friends and family I love. The governor constantly told us to have a “safe group.”

I always wanted to be a writer, but life got in the way. I decided to work on some books. I had three small ones published in 2012 and 2016 but became more ambitious. I wanted to publish a longer one with information on my life and experiences with deaf and hard-of-hearing people. I spent hours typing away on my computer and laptop at home, and when allowed, went to patios with my faithful first dog snoozing beside me.

My faith has always been a huge part of my life. I belong to an incredibly open and affirming church with a loving congregation. Meanwhile, those of us who wanted a social hour met after church on Zoom and visited, and we loved it! My pastor knows me well, and seeing how depressed I was (Zoom services just weren't the same), he suggested I write some devotionals on COVID and faith “for a few weeks.” We all know what happened. I stopped writing four years later. In the meantime, I published 50 articles and gave them to the congregation as a holiday gift several years later.

During this period, I continued working on my book, which ultimately exceeded 300 pages and has recently been published. I also wrote for CURE, which became my therapy. Through painful treatments, scary COVID experiences, and the rollercoaster of my health, I wrote and shared these experiences with others. My first service dog passed in 2022. I was heartbroken, but now I have another little one who helps me, especially in the house since I cannot hear doorbells or alarms. I lost more of my hearing from chemo and went from hard of hearing to deaf. It was another heartbreaking time, but my writing and faith got me through it.

One of the greatest experiences has been when the editors at CURE sponsor Zoom meetings, allowing us to meet each other and exchange ideas. Since we live all over the world, Zoom makes this possible and has been an additional bonus.

So, to answer the editor — faith and writing are my passions. More than that, they are a part of my DNA, and without those, I would not be, well, me. We all have passions, but the important part is to find them and then share them. Thank you, CURE, for your part in all of this!

This piece reflects the author’s personal experience and perspective. For medical advice, please consult your health care provider.

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