When you hear the words “you have cancer,” time appears to stop. There are only treatment programs, doctor’s appointments, and the long fight for your life left. What happens once the fight is ended, though? when the last treatment session is completed and the last scan is clear? For many survivors, this question can be just as scary as the diagnosis itself.
Cancer changes you. It makes you think about the future in ways that most people can’t and makes you face death in ways that most people can’t. The emotional landscape is forever transformed, even though the physical wounds heal. This change, though, has given me an unexpected gift: a deep understanding of what it means to face the inconceivable and come out the other side.
The Calm After the Storm
Getting your physical strength back is simply one part of getting over cancer. When you’ve been through something that could have broken you, it’s time to find your identity again, figure out what you want to do with your life, and learn more about yourself. A lot of survivors say they felt disoriented throughout the transition from patient to survivor, split between being grateful for their life and not knowing what would happen next.
At this moment, the impulse to give back often comes up. Survivors have a valuable asset: lived experience, having gone through the valley of serious sickness. They know that hope may feel like glass, that terror can take over at three in the morning, and that small wins can mean everything when you’re battling for your life.
The Healing Power of Helping Others
When cancer survivors choose to give back, great things happen. Helping others who are going through the same things can be a therapeutic process that medicine alone can’t provide. It converts being alone into being with others, being afraid into being brave, and pain into meaning.
Sarah, who began volunteering at the cancer clinic where she was treated, is an example. She thinks, “I remember how lonely I felt during chemo.” “I can now tell someone going through their first round that it’s okay to be scared, and they believe me because I’ve been there.” She gives you the unshakeable belief that you can survive, something no doctor can do.
There are fundamental psychological reasons for this mending. Helping others gives our own pain meaning. Viktor Frankl, a psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, says that we can’t always control what occurs to us, but we can control how we respond. Giving back is a powerful method for those who have survived cancer to deal with what they went through in a way that is both meaningful and kind.
The Ripple Effect of Shared Strength
Helping others has an influence that goes beyond the individual who gets the help. A survivor who mentors someone who has just been diagnosed is not only helping them, but also spreading hope and strength. The individual who is getting aid today could be able to help others tomorrow if they keep the strength they gained during their hardest circumstances.
Researchers call the positive psychological transformation that can happen after overcoming adversity “post-traumatic growth.” People who practice helpful habits often say they are more thankful for life, have greater connections, are stronger, and know what their priorities are. Giving back is a way to show that you are healed and a way to keep mending.
## Learning How to Help Others
Every survivor has a different manner of helping others. Some people go back to the hospitals where they got treatment to comfort other patients. Some people support research funding, write or talk about their own health problems, or just be there for friends and family who are having health problems.
It’s important to find a plan that works for your energy levels and feels right for you. Recovery is a journey that never ends. As you get better and grow, the way you give back may change. The reason you gave is more significant than how much you gave.
Some survivors find purpose in small, ordinary acts of compassion that come from their experiences. They add a lot to their relationships after learning how important everyday interactions are. Some people use what they know to fight for improved care for patients in the future or to raise awareness about their form of cancer.
## A Gift of Perspective
Perspective is probably the best thing that cancer survivors can provide to their service. They know that life is stronger and weaker than most people imagine. They have learned how to find happiness in small things and strength in unexpected places. This information acts as a lighthouse for people who are having trouble finding their way through their own tough times.
When a survivor offers help, they are doing more than just comforting or giving practical support. They are showing that bad times can be gotten through and even converted into something good. They show that our biggest hurts can make us stronger.
## Moving Forward with a Goal
It’s a highly personal choice to give back after cancer. It can’t be rushed or forced, and not everyone will think it’s right for them at every stage of their journey. But those who do select this path will get a lot of rewards that can’t be measured. They realize that cancer changed them, but it didn’t define them. Instead, students are given the chance to decide what their experience means and how it will affect what they do for society.
Survivors often find that helping others with their own cancer difficulties helps them move forward as well as give back. They are crafting a new part of their story in which other people find strength in their battle. They are showing us that we can choose hope, connection, and change even when things are really hard.
There is no clear path from being a cancer patient to being a survivor to becoming a helper. There is a deep truth that people who follow this path will find: sometimes the best way to heal our own wounds is to help others heal theirs. We find and make meaning in our lives by doing one kind thing at a time.
