Often cancer survivors are singularly described as ‘brave’, and though I do believe that in order to overcome cancer you must have bravery and be courageous, but I often reject that description for myself personally. I didn’t decide to have cancer; I didn’t put myself into harm’s way to help someone else. I don’t consider myself brave. Instead, I think of myself as grateful. My whole being is defined by gratitude.

My cancer journey – like all other’s – has various stages, I’ve been fortunate to have many stages – in that I have reached the stage that all patients pray and work so desperately to reach: survivorship. For me to be classified a “survivor” I had to advance through a range of stages: diagnosis, treatment, relapse, stem cell transplant, remission, and now survivorship.

Part One: A journey of connection, identity, and what it means to keep becoming after cancer.