LifeList

"I sleep as much as I can because when I’m awake, I’m sad. There’s nothing to do but stare at the same walls."

"I think about all the what if’s everyday. Cancer has taken so much time and so many memories with my five year old daughter away from me."

"Suddenly I was in the hospital, had to leave my job, and my wife became a single parent to our three children."

"This cancer diagnosis and the prognosis have really changed what my wife and I are envisioning for our lives and what the future looks like. It's a hard thing to come to terms with at 27."

"I love any kind of car racing and it has helped me pass the time during my treatments. "

"I got engaged and it scares me that I won't get to live a full life with my future wife."

"Your 20s and 30s is such a fundamental time of change and involvement in the life of others, transitioning from a role of dependency on others to someone others depend on. Cancer ruins that. Cancer makes you dependent. Cancer robs you of the ability..."

"Being sick and missing out on important events such as football games, class, sorority events, workout classes, and other college events, and watching everyone else be able to participate has been heartbreaking. All I want is to feel "normal", and..."

"I don't feel I am the mom I could be or was because of cancer and that's a really hard pill to swallow. It's definitely made me realize how precious and valuable my life truly is."

"I know that this cancer will kill me one day, but that's not today so I do my best to live life to the fullest while I still feel well enough to do so."

"I’ve lost so much time. I’m 28 with zero work experience, and even if I wanted to get a minimum-wage/entry-level job, I can’t because I’m a transplant patient living in a pandemic."

"I struggle with the effect this has had on my family."

"I’m looking forward to being able to recover and continue on doing what I love to do."

"We want our boys to have beach vacation memories just like we do from our childhood; cancer has a hard time fighting for mental space in the sun and the sand!"

"I was indifferent about having children but the hardest part is not being able to give my husband kids."

"Unfortunately my mom has recently been diagnosed with cancer as well so it would just be refreshing to have something good happen for us."

"Knowing I may lose my life at any time during this process is the scariest part because I don’t want my four kids to lose their mother just yet. They are scared and worried and I can’t imagine how hard this is for them."

"I want to be able to spend quality time with my kids without worrying about doctor’s appointments and the financial strain this has all caused."

"Knowing that this diagnosis will follow me for the rest of my life is tough - I want to live a long and fulfilled life full of adventures and experiences, I want to be able to experience life with my kids, witness their life, and be there for them..."

"All I want to do is go live with friends and take college classes and complete my internship, all of which I had to give up when my cancer relapsed."

"Most of us know someone with cancer but we don’t really understand what that means to be “the one” with it. Cancer happens around us, but not to us."

"It is so hard being weak, nauseous, emotionally drained, and watching my mom cry when I can't do anything."

"I have a 3 year old daughter who, thankfully, is too young to understand more than that I have a "boo boo" on my head, but I worry constantly about whether I will be around as she grows up."

"I hate the thought of not being here for my kids and raising them - not being here for hugs, wiping tears, kissing boo-boo's, teaching them lessons I've learned through life, and helping guide them in their lives."

"My boys are in a lot of activities and I am always their #1 fan. I have missed so much in the last year with treatment."

"I have three children and I work full -time and I am barely keeping my head above water during the time of my life when I should be most active and happy."

"All I want is to see my daughter grow into the beautiful woman that she will become and to experience life with my forever human, my husband, Michael."

"I just miss being me. I want to not be Katie with the cancer. Just me."

"Cancer has taken a large toll on my overall self-esteem and my family life."

"The hardest part of all of this is having two children and the fear of possibly leaving them without their mother."

"Even though I look alright at first glance, I just can't keep up with other young adults and end up being a drag in most social settings. Just imagine trying to take your 90-year old great-granddad hiking; that's me, in a 31-year old's body!"

"It is hard watching my friends and the people I went to school with move on with their lives (getting married, having kids) and my life is basically on pause."

"I knew I was going to fight this and I have and did. I will not let this define me, I will not let this beat me."

"Sometimes I’m just so tired and my small children don’t understand. They want to think mommy is superwoman."

"Everyone says that dealing with cancer is easier given that I am younger, yet to me it is a constant daily struggle."

"I'm lucky enough to have a support system nearby that will always be there for me and provide me a soft place to land regardless of my situation and circumstances."

"I should be trying to plan to have a family, but I am instead planning on what cancer doctor I need to see next."

"Being a young adult with cancer, especially single, can be lonely. While my friends are getting married and having kids, I am fighting for my life."

"It has been so difficult to face an uncertain future for myself and my family as we have to navigate this."

"With my Hawaiian lineage, l have always wanted to go there, especially with my husband."

"Watching my friends move around the country, starting jobs, getting married, or going to grad school themselves has been really hard emotionally for me; it's an added stressor that I wasn't really prepared for with this journey."

"It is so difficult to see my peers move on and achieve all of the things that were once my goals."

"It has been difficult to face my own mortality. I just want to see my daughter grow up."

"I feel like I’m stuck sitting in the back seat watching everyone else my age drive by."

"I want to feel like I am seen."

"It has been so difficult and isolating knowing that others my age can never understand my experience."

"It’s really tough parenting when feeling down, and I’m glad I have my wife to help out when my days are bad."

"I am trying to fight with everything to be here to watch my son grow up."

"I work full time and cannot keep up with medical expenses and full time school."

"I am back to living at home, and not able to contribute financially and knowing that my mom is struggling has really brought me down."

"One of the most difficult aspects of being a young adult and battling cancer is grieving over how you expected your life to be."