Facing Forward: Life After Cancer and the Women Who Helped Me Get Here

This month, I’m celebrating survivorship—not just my own, but the courage of those who fought their battles and then turned back to help others through theirs.

I owe a deep debt of gratitude to the women who encouraged me, guided me, and offered their strength when I needed it most. To Lauren N. Sellers, Laura Cox Dawson, Lynne Trocciola Levy, Susan Trocciola, Marie-Claude Stockl, Susan Darling Urban, Shari Peyser, Patricia A. McLelland—and to anyone I may have missed (forgive the chemo brain!)—thank you. Your support carried me.

The truth is, survivorship doesn’t end with remission. Many survivors live with ongoing health challenges caused by chemo, radiation, and long-term medications—not to mention the ever-lingering anxiety: Will it come back? When? Where?

There’s still too little support for this part of the journey. That’s why throughout this month, I’ll be sharing helpful, science-backed resources I’ve discovered to strengthen the body, support the mind, and improve the odds—not just for preventing recurrence, but for thriving if cancer dares return.

My mindset now is simple:

Cancer is gone, but Death looked me in the eye.
He moved on—but not without a threat to return.
So if you’re coming back, Death...
You better come at night, and you better bring friends.

Let’s start with this:
Exercise found to be more effective than drugs at preventing cancer recurrence

Backed by a global trial, the study shows that regular physical activity post-treatment can actually outperform pharmaceuticals when it comes to lowering recurrence risk and prolonging life.

This is just the beginning.
Stay tuned—there’s more to share.