Life After Cancer: A Personal Perspective of What Survivorship Should Look Like

As a marathon runner, I have learned to apply the lessons from running to life. By the time I get to mile 18 and 23 in a race, I usually catch myself filled with self-doubt, like, whose idea was it to run this race again? Why am I doing this? Every fiber of my body is saying quit NOW! 

And then I have to remind myself that I can do hard things —like finishing this race that I started. That's the commitment I made through the long weeks of training. When the going gets tough, I won't stop until I cross the finish line, even if I have to slow down to a crawl!

Well, it was the same mindset I had going through the treatments for breast cancer. I can do hard things; I had to remind myself of this repeatedly. When the side effects of chemotherapy left me with insomnia, brain fog, fatigue, and neuropathy in my hands and feet, I could do hard things. When the monoclonal antibody therapy worsened the neuropathy, and decreased my heart function down to less than 50%, to the point that I struggled to even walk the dog around the block without getting short of breath and was gasping for air as I climbed a flight of stairs at the Museum of Contemporary Art, I still could do hard things.

After a long and arduous 14 months consisting of 4 months of adjuvant chemotherapy, followed by two surgeries three weeks apart, 5 weeks of radiation therapy, and a total of 17 weeks of monoclonal antibody therapy, the final day of cancer treatment finally arrived on February 27, 2025, and I rang that bell. 🔔

Ringing the bell is a powerful symbol of survival, strength, and a hard-fought journey. But what many don’t talk about is what comes next.

 

According to the American Cancer Society, there are over 18 million cancer survivors in the U.S., and this number is growing. For countless survivors, life after treatment can feel disorienting and uncertain.

The safety net of regular medical visits and treatment teams suddenly comes to an end. Now what? This is known as the "survivorship gap," and many people are unprepared for it.

What Is the Survivorship Gap?

The survivorship gap refers to the lack of structured support for patients after cancer treatment ends. Many women report feeling isolated, anxious, or unsure how to manage long-term side effects. While treatment may be over, the emotional and logistical challenges remain.

Common survivorship challenges include:

      ❌ Lingering fatigue or "chemo brain"

      ❌ insomnia

      ❌ Hot flashes (for those on hormone blockers)

      ❌ Changes in Body Composition, with increased belly fat

      ❌ Lymphedema 

      ❌ Anxiety or depression

      ❌ Fear of recurrence

      ❌ Financial toxicity and return-to-work stress

 What Survivorship Is Perceived to Be

It's easy to assume that survivorship is just the follow-up care, such as:

✅ Surveillance Labs

✅ Re-establishing care with your Primary Care Physician
✅ Scheduled Imaging
✅ Keeping up with other preventive health screenings

✅ A quick chat with your oncologist

These are all crucial aspects of post-cancer care. However, this checklist does not encompass the more comprehensive, whole-person approach to care. 

What Survivorship Should Be

Survivorship is about how you come back to yourself, your body, your relationships, and your future.

To me, survivorship is a layered, ongoing process. It can include:

✨ Managing side effects like fatigue, neuropathy, insomnia, brain fog, or Lymphedema.

✨ Coping with emotional fallout, including Anxiety, isolation, or depression.

✨ Rebuilding strength and function, especially if treatment impacted mobility or stamina.

✨ Navigating identity shifts, especially if your appearance, roles, or sense of safety have changed

✨ Making peace with and living despite uncertainty, particularly the Fear of recurrence.

✨ Finding purpose, meaning, and new routines despite having been through cancer.

On a very personal level, it has also included learning to come to peace with my decision to undergo a bilateral mastectomy without reconstruction after the incidental discovery on a pathology specimen of a second cancer in the other breast. In other words "living flat"—a body that has been changed forever.

Survivorship Is Also Deeply Personal

No two women experience a cancer journey in the same way. Some throw themselves into new passions. Others grieve what they've lost. Some retreat inward. Others speak louder than ever. And many may go through a gamut of emotions that wax and wane. 

And guess what? ALL these responses are valid.

However, what remains consistent is the need for space, support, and guidance. That might come through a therapist, a support group, a coach, or a structured survivorship program.

The Role of Survivorship Programs

Survivorship programs are designed to bridge the gap between treatment and long-term well-being. At their best, they offer:

• Holistic guidance across physical, emotional, and practical domains.

• Opportunities to regain autonomy, track progress, and set goals.

• The support of a community of like-minded people who understand and can relate to each other's journeys. 

• A roadmap to support not just for survival, but to learn how to thrive.

Survivorship programs are not a one-size-fits-all template. It is a process. They should be designed to meet a survivor where they are, offering them the support they need to begin moving forward. This is why I envision such a program being flexible, personalized, and grounded in real-life experiences.

Why This Matters to Me

If you've recently finished treatment and feel adrift, you are not alone. I have felt the same way. 

If you feel like people expect you to "bounce back," but you're still putting the pieces together, you're not broken. I've been dealing with this also. 

And if you're searching for a more intentional, supported way to step into this next chapter, you're not being selfish- you're taking back your power! 

Just like running that marathon and you get to mile 18-23 in a race, your mind will start to play tricks on you. Know that Survivorship is work.

I've searched for what I envisioned a Survivorship Program should look like, and I haven't come across one that is fully comprehensive. 

In the field of personal development, there is a quote that says, "If the solution doesn't exist, maybe you were meant to build it."

And so I'm combining my skills as a health advocate, physician, trained professional life coach, and certified functional medicine practitioner to LAUNCH a Cancer Survivorship Program in Late Fall/Winter 2025. 

The Inaugural cohort will be a 6-month program, and limited to ten women at a low introductory price, with the option to join other cohorts in the future. Please stay tuned for details on when I will start accepting applications.

In conclusion....

For far too long, survivorship has been an afterthought of the medical establishment. But it deserves our full attention because healing doesn't end with your last infusion or radiation session. Or ringing that darn bell!

It continues—in every choice, every Fear, every hopeful plan for the future.

We, as cancer survivors, deserve care that sees the whole you, not just the diagnosis you’ve overcome.

If you're a woman over fifty looking for community, guidance, and clarity during your survivorship journey, and are willing to invest in yourself, I'm creating something special for you. Please stay tuned to this space.