Saturday, June 4, 2017 was National Cancer Survivor’s Day, a time to honor and celebrate those who are surviving the disease.
We’re all survivors of something. Cancer survivorship means different things to different people. Technically it describes anyone living with, through or beyond cancer treatment. By this definition, cancer survivorship begins at diagnosis.
According to the American Cancer Society, there are 13.7 million cancer survivors living in the world today. For many, imagining life after cancer can be tough. A set of new challenges arise for survivors, such as fear of recurrence, PTSD from a cancer diagnosis, changing economics, depression- all the things that take on a new meaning when a cancer diagnosis strikes. Care teams can describe your survivor journey as acute, extended or permanent, making it all seem even more confusing.
No matter how you define survivorship, Tennessee Oncology understands that a great support team is more important than ever, whether you are still in treatment or not. That’s why we’ve put together a host of resources on survivorship for those navigating this new kind of journey.
Through this resource page, you can learn more about long-term side effects of your treatments, explore follow-up care and educate yourself to the possibility of recurrence. The American Cancer Society also provides a Life After Treatment Guide.
From diagnosis through survivorship, Tennessee Oncology physicians, practitioners and counselors are here at every stage with experienced support. Let us know your needs, your fears, if you have any questions or if you just need someone to listen to what survivorship is like for you. Congratulations, survivors.
