Wanted: Survivor Stories

Thank you for your post, Marion. I think that’s a really good idea.

I was having a very rough day when I posted (my second drain has now gown haywire) and was feeling like an official “failure” because I now have disease progression. It was my sweetie of a husband who started pointing out all the things I’ve done since I was diagnosed and had the recurrence.

I think a CC success story is anyone who FEELS like a success story, and I would just love to hear all the stories of people who feel that way!

Thanks!

Kristin

Wow Kristin! You are an amazing success story. Even more than I realized

MY CC SUCCESS STORY

OK, so now I have a growing tumor that squashed my bile duct, and a malfunctioning bile bag hanging off my side.

But in the six years since I was diagnosed, I have:

traveled to Europe three times and to Asia once

driven and camped the US coast-to-coast on back roads, twice

written two novels, a memoir, and part of a nonfiction book, and had a literary agent submit them to major publishers

written textbooks (my profession) that are used by hundreds of thousands of students in Asia and Latin America to learn English as a foreign language, and understand other people better

started making visual art and showed it in public shows

deepened my spiritual life enormously, and found my way back home to church

made many new dear and wonderful friends

got my first-ever dog, who delights me every day

bought my first-ever house and planted my first-ever garden

and learned to be a better and kinder wife, sister, daughter, granddaughter, daughter-in-law, and friend.

To heck with the bile bag and tumor, I think that’s pretty darn successful.

Kristin, you are a success story to me. And a great inspiration! I don’t think there’s anybody with cc that doesn’t have bumps in the road.

The bumps people have are helping/preparing others to ride through the bumps without giving up.

Kristin….I believe that this cancer should be classified a chronic disease for those members who, as you say: are alive and kicking.
In this particular instance we are looking for people who do not display any visible recurrence or, those who have an inactive disease. Although, currently we have success stories posted however, I believe that they get lost in the threads. We could display survivor stories in a more prominent place and rotate each after a certain period of time. The reasons are threefold:
1. It will encourage patients to share with us their stories of success.
2. It will be in a prominent place.
3. It allows people to share their stories without the fear of offending those in different stages of this disease.
What do you think?
As always, best wishes,
Marion

Done, Rick. A project in mind?