The biggest misconception of the cancer journey is that everyone thinks the formula is simple “Cancer + Chemo/Radiation= No More Cancer”

The reality is that finishing your course of treatment does NOT automatically change your status from ‘Cancer Patient’ to ‘Survivor’.

You are still a brave warrior, but you are not finished. Completing your designated course of treatment is simply that. Don’t get me wrong, completing your course of treatment is a HUGE accomplishment and should absolutely be celebrated in the most extravagant ways. My issue here is that our loving supporters of these brave warriors often jump straight to congratulate us for beating cancer, overcoming the disease, and being able to put this chapter behind us.

Supporters, I beg of you, do not fall victim to the ignorance here, it is painful for us. We are tired- our treatment is over and we feel defeated physically, excited to move forward, and most importantly- terrified of what is to come. It is heartbreaking to hear things along the lines of “Congratulations! Let’s get back to normal cancer free life now!” because then we are left with a choice. We can either a) look like a negative person and break it to you that we have no idea if the treatment even worked yet or b) lie to you and pretend that this is the end of the journey.

Completing your treatment plan of chemo or radiation is a monumental accomplishment! Looking from the outside in, I can completely understand why people would think that finishing this step directly translates to you being done with all this cancer junk and moving back into cancer free life. What it really means is that now you are going to find out if the torment was even worth it. Depending on the type of cancer and the doctors overseeing it, there are indicators checked along the way throughout your treatment process giving you some indication. However, most of us don’t know if going through the hell that is chemotherapy, is even worth it until it is over.

Following treatment there are a multitude of scans and labs to reassess how successful your treatment was and what the next steps are. Some people may find out it was perfect and they are cancer free but some people may find out they need more treatments or more options. Finishing your designated treatment protocol does not always equal success and we need to break the idea that it does. Ending treatment and beating cancer are two completely different celebrations and they are both mighty in their own ways.

Supporters, please help us celebrate both victories when that time comes but don’t jump straight to the finish line just because we look like we’re almost there. Instead of mistakenly congratulating people on beating cancer when they finish treatment try encouraging them with things like:

“Way to stay strong through this part of the journey!”

“Crushed it! Hoping for good results!”

“Awesome! Hope this is the end for you!”

Having someone in our corner as we battle this beast is the biggest advantage we need. With that I want to thank each and every one of you that have supported me along the way because it is CELEBRATION TIME! I finished my designated course of treatment!!! Adios Chemo! Here’s to hoping for good scans and labs going forward!