Survivorship

What does it mean to be a survivor?

A survivor is a person who copes well with difficulties in their life. When referring to surviving cancer or “survivorship” some say it means you no longer have the disease after the completion of treatment, while others feel it is the process of living with, through, and beyond cancer. Cancer survivorship begins at diagnosis and continues throughout your journey. It includes people who continue to have treatment to either reduce risk of recurrence or to manage the disease. Sometimes, people who have survived cancer consider their caregivers as “co-survivors” because they too traveled along this journey. No matter how it is defined, survivorship is open to interpretation. No two people think alike.