“Cancer Stole So Much From Me”

This voice from the community speaks to a major theme that we speak about at IWSTHAB.

You truly never know what someone is going through. Don’t judge, don’t jump to conclusions. Just be kind and sensitive.

I was diagnosed with cancer when I was 21 - about a year into my marriage. Unfortunately due to the severity of the cancer (Stage 3 Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma) and the immediate need for treatment, I was unable to freeze my eggs as that would take too long and I had to start treatment right away.

At the time, I wasn’t even thinking about fertility preservation even though people around me kept mentioning it. I just felt like I needed to survive and having a child was the last thing on my mind.

Thank G-d I made it through treatment and am now cancer free. However, I am left with debilitating immune problems and health issues related to my chemotherapy, that prevent me from even trying to conceive.

This isn’t something I could've ever dreamed I would go through (and is truly rare) and now 10+ years after going through cancer treatment, I still don’t have a child and don’t know when that will be a possibility for me.

Thankfully, I have an amazingly supportive husband and family and a beautiful life and am still learning to appreciate each day and how lucky I am to be alive and relatively healthy. But cancer stole so much from me. 💔