The Power of Sharing Your Cancer Story

In 2007, I had a booth at the Ottawa Independent Writer’s Book Fair, an annual event that usually takes place in November at the RA Center in Ottawa. That is where I met Frank Hegyi, a fellow cancer survivor who was all excited to tell me about this very special book project he was working on that would bring hope and inspiration to cancer patients and survivors as well as their families, friends and colleagues. Knowing that I am a cancer survivor myself, Frank asked me if I wanted to join him in putting this book together that would be a collection of stories from cancer survivors. I was honoured to be invited to participate in such a special project and was especially touched because his vision for this project was not for profit, but rather to raise money for cancer research and cancer patient programs. I saw this as a wonderful opportunity to give back to both the Ottawa and global community.

I agreed to join the project. Jacquelin Holzman and Max Keeping, two well-known Ottawa personalities and other fellow cancer survivors, joined as well. The four of us formed a team to strategically get the word out and get the media on board to help us advertise that we were looking for cancer survivors to share their stories in our book. The Ottawa Citizen and the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation were instrumental in helping us to collect stories. The stories started to pour in. Each story was unique and inspiring beyond words. We ended up with a collection of 36 stories which now also includes my own story and those of Frank Hegyi, Jacquelin Holzman, Max Keeping and 32 others.

It was not necessarily easy for me to write my story as it forced me to think back and re-live a lot of the painful experiences I went through physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Yet at the same time it felt very liberating to put my story into words onto paper. I was able to release a lot of what I was still perhaps holding onto. Many of the contributors had commented to us that through writing their story they were able to heal in a way that they had not yet healed from their experiences. For many, this was the first time that they had actually shared and expressed what they had gone through.

What I found in my cancer experience is that the medical system focused so much on my physical well-being in terms of my chemotherapy treatments and side effects such as my hair loss, constipation, mouth sores and muscle spasms just to name a few, that I did not get that much support for what I was going through mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I didn’t even know myself what I was going through on those deeper levels because I too was so focused on just trying to get through my days without physical pain or discomfort. On the days that I felt happy and strong, I didn’t want to think about anything negative I may have been burying otherwise because I just wanted to enjoy feeling good and positive in every moment possible. A good day is something every cancer patient cherishes so why bring myself down? If you’re a cancer patient or survivor reading this, my guess is that you fully understand what I’m talking about.

That is what is so special about our book. It shares real stories from real people who have gone through the cancer experience. Some are still going through it, but they are survivors. We all are. If you have a cancer story inside you that you have not come to terms with, I encourage you to share your story. Write it down. Speak it into a tape recorder and get someone else to write it if you don’t think you’re a writer. It can be very cathartic for you. Also, by sharing your story as I did and the other contributors to our book, you can help someone else. You can touch their lives. There may be just one sentence in your story that brings them a new sense of hope and determination. Sometimes that is all it takes.

If you or someone you know is going through the cancer experience, I encourage you to purchase a copy of our book. It is called, Death Can Wait: Stories from Cancer Survivors available at Amazon.ca. To order you copy, please click HERE.

If you or someone you know would like to share your story for our next release of our book, please send stories to info@roslynfranken.com.
Roslyn Franken is an Ottawa Author, Speaker, Weight Loss Coach and Radio Host committed to helping people make positive changes for lasting results to how they look, feel and thrive in their lives. She is the author of The A List: 9 Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living, host of How to Thrive after 35 Talk Radio and co-author of Death Can Wait: Stories from Cancer Survivors. For more information, visit http://www.roslynfranken.com.

Roslyn Franken is an Ottawa Author, Speaker, Weight Loss Coach and Radio Host committed to helping people make positive changes for lasting results to how they look, feel and thrive in their lives. She is the author of The A List: 9 Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living, host of How to Thrive after 35 Talk Radio and co-author of Death Can Wait: Stories from Cancer Survivors.