“Stepping Stones” back into a normal life

A continuation of my last post on the great article on the University of Texas in Austin website.  The article also talks about Dr. Barbara Jones, a cancer survivor and an assistant professor in the School of Social Work who is working on improving the path for childhood cancer survivors.

She spent years as a pediatric oncology social worker who provided counseling and help with communications and acted as an advocate for families. Now, she is a researcher who is working on improving the care of children with cancer and their families. She is researching how to get a better understanding of the long-term needs of childhood cancer survivors.

Dr. Jones’ research included African-American and Latino childhood cancer survivors and their definition of illness. Jones conducted a study of Latino young adult cancer survivors and found that their experience and definition of a cancer survivor is different from other ethnic groups.

She reported that they exhibit a strong theme of gratitude…gratitude for the support they received from family and/or care providers. In addition, they really don’t see themselves as survivors. They think the younger kids who received the cancer diagnosis very early on are the real survivors.

A lot has to be learned about the emotional effects of childhood cancer survivors. With good people like Dr. Jones, I know that we can improve psychosocial care for childhood cancer survivors.

a childhood cancer survivor story

Recently, I saw this article on the University of Texas in Austin website about Kristy Devine, a childhood cancer survivor. She talks about her feelings when she was diagnosed with cancer and how she is feeling today as a survivor. 

She was only 10-years-old when she learned she had a cancerous tumor growing in the tibia of her left leg. She “equated cancer with death,” but she survived. She experienced hours of surgery and months of chemotherapy, that resulted in hair loss, nausea, anxiety and anger. As an adolescent girl, she struggled mightily with her self-image.

Now as an adult, Kristy knows that she gained strength from the fact that she faced a difficult time in her life as a child. She talks about “stepping stones” to help her get back to a normal life. She now works for Cure Search, an organization helping children with cancer.

Every childhood cancer survivor has a special story to tell. We would love to hear about your story. Tell us how you are doing today. Share with our readers how surviving cancer has changed your emotional outlook on life.