After Cancer
Twice a day, an email full of support, encouragement, and information arrives in the inboxes of the 370 members of the Long-term Cancer Survivors mailing list. The topic of discussion is often the “late effects” of cancer treatment.
One member’s recent posting is titled “Why?”
“Why, after being in remission for years, am I so angry and depressed that my personal relationships are falling apart?” the cancer survivor asked.
The answer is the psychosocial late effects of cancer treatment.
Late effects of cancer treatment appear long after the catheter is removed, weekly blood draws cease, and the wigs are tucked away in the back of a closet. A cancer survivor may leave weekly trips to the cancer clinic behind, but late effects can linger for years afterwards.
Kathy Steindorf, 43, of Wisconsin, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease at 38. Four years after entering remission, she began having nightmares that jolted her from sleep to sheet-soaking sweats.
“I woke up from the nightmares with a cold fear,” she said. “I came to a point where I didn’t want to die, but just wanted to be dead.”
Jan O’Daniell, 45, of Texas, hid in her church’s bathroom during mass after being diagnosed with cancer for the second time.
“I didn’t want anyone to know how upset I was,” O’Daniell said. “I didn’t think I was allowed to be depressed.”
Joy T.*, 28, of Illinois, dropped out of high school three years after completing cancer treatment.
“I was so bitter and cynical,” Joy T. said. “I thought there was no point of going to school if I could just die tomorrow.”
Steindorf, O’Daniell, and Joy T. didn’t realize their psychological distress was related to their cancer experience — they had survived, after a...
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“The first session she asked, ‘This is the first time you’re coming to therapy?’” Joy T. said. “She told me [my anxiety] was totally normal — I got to talk about a lot of things.”
Several years after she dropped out of high school, Joy T. earned her GED. She recently completed her bachelor’s degree in science and healthcare leadership.
Steindorf opted not to see a therapist — instead she takes an anti-depressant and leans on her family for support.
“I’m very involved in church and my support circle is awesome,” Steindorf said.
Steindorf is thankful that her doctor recognized that she was experiencing psychosocial late effects, but believes other cancer survivors and their doctors don’t pinpoint the problem soon enough.
“Survivors have to know about this — how sad is it if a survivor leads a miserable life after surviving cancer,” Steindorf said.
When it comes to a bad diagnosis it is often difficult for doctors to tell their patients this devastating news. The doctor will likely hold back from telling the patient the whole truth about their health because they believe the patient will become depressed. However, Schwartz argues that telling the patient the whole truth about their illness will cause depression and anxiety, but rather telling the patient the whole truth will empower and motivate the patient to make the most of their days. Many doctors will often also prescribe or offer treatment that will likely not help their health, but the doctors do so to make patients feel as though their may be a solution to the problem as they are unaware to the limited number of days they may have left. In comparison, people who are aware there is no cure to their diagnosis and many choose to live their last days not in the hospital or pain free from medications without a treatment holding them back. They can choose to live their last days with their family and will have more time and awareness to handle a will. Schwartz argues the importance of telling patients the truth about their diagnosis and communicating the person’s likely amount of time left as it will affect how the patient chooses to live their limited
I soon found myself at the open door of Mrs. Walker’s office. I could hardly contain my excitement as I situated myself in the cushioned black chair in front of her. She said to me delicately with compassionate eyes, “I know how bad you want to go, but only one student from our school was selected to attend. It was not you.” She encouraged me to pursue other opportunities over the summer, but her words went in one ear and out the other. I left her office with a pout on my face, feeling somber and
Susan B Anthony, one of the first women to participate in the women 's right movement said “I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and there I take my stand.” For a long time women were seen as inferior to men. They weren 't capable of the things that men were. They were expected to stay in the household and tend to the children. They were subjected to their own oppression and for a long time they just let it happen. That all changed when a group of women organized an event at a church in Seneca Falls. The Seneca Falls convention impacted the women’s rights movement rights by establishing the foundation arguments for the movement,
Exacting their rights, activists began to seek for publicity and wrote letters and essays to potentially be published in several newspapers. Those who were impacted by women’s moralities matters for the first time is one of the greatest accomplishments of the Convention. The primary activists’ aspiration was to inspire all women and commence on their effort to complete the requests they first expressed at Seneca Falls.
...n son. He tries making Huck feel bad, and is also racist. He cannot believe that black people know more than he does.
Women's activism has brought and is continuously causing changes in the country that are more liberating and emancipating of the women's rights and place in the society. With the help of brave, bold, and principled women, the status and roles of women in the nation have become more meaningful. Indeed, the 20th century was a turning point in the lives of many women. This was the time when women battled against the oppressions brought by patriarchy through crusading for the promotion of their civil rights, sexual freedom, and pursuing careers which were once forbidden to them.
The oppression and discrimination the women felt in this era launched the women into create the women’s right movement. The economic growth in the market economy women opportunity to work was very low Lucy Stone explained that the same society that pushes men forward keeps woman at home (Doc. H). Only low paying jobs were available such as factories, seamstress, or a teacher and in most states women had no control over their wages. Charlotte Woodward explained how she would sew gloves for a terrible wage but it was under rebellion she wished to choose her own job and the pay (Doc.E). The chart on Doc F explained how women between 1837-1844 dominated men as teachers in the Massachusetts Public School. The idea of the “cult of true womanhood” was that most respectable middle class women should stay at home and take care of the family and be the moral of the home. The advancement in the market economy gave women a chance to make their own money to be able to support themselves and work outside of the home. The nineteenth century was a ferment of reform such as the Second...
The first well-known quest for women's rights began in Seneca Falls, New York, on July19, 1848. Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized a women's conference in hopes of discussing the role of women in society and establishing a sense of what women would need to do to overcome the barriers they had faced for several centuries. Stanton and another supporter, Lucretia Mott, developed the Seneca Falls Declaration as a document that would highlight the discrimination that women had endured for hundreds of years. They hoped that this wou...
The entire Women’s Movement in the United States has been quite extensive. It can be traced back to 1848, when the first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. After two days of discussions, 100 men and women signed the Declaration of Sentiments. Drafted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, this document called for equal treatment of women and men under the law and voting rights for women. This gathering set the agenda for the rest of the Women’s Movement long ago (Imbornoni). Over the next 100 years, many women played a part in supporting equal treatment for women, most notably leading to the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which allowed women the right to vote.
Cancer patients often wonder if going through treatments like chemotherapy and radiation are worth the risk of the side effects, in addition to the cancerous side effects. They feel that they can’t enjoy or relax in what a short amount of time they have left because they are bedridden from the nausea and pain that treatments put them through. Patients tell their loved ones to just let them die so long as they don’t have to go through any more pain. Those who are too old, are unable to recover from the effects, or are just too far in the grips of cancer, should refuse the more harsh treatments like chemo and radiation. On the positive side, refusing treatments after a certain point can save their families from the stress and cost of hospital bills. If caught early enough, patients can opt for safer and easier routes to getting rid of cancer like surgery or by doing a stem cell transplant.
...r equality of women whose only representation at the time was through husbands. The brave few who courageously fought in the movement reformed our country and society today. Women such as Alice Paul and Susan B Anthony not only brought on equality for women today these women also brought on a new way women thought towards themselves. Today women think of themselves as independent smart citizens who can be whoever they want to be, politicians, doctors, scientists, etc. In addition women today can wear what they choose. Along with the right of equality and the ability for women to vote there is a responsibility, women should be informed of the political candidates before they vote. All of the freedom we have is a privilege we often take for granted as we don’t think about those women who suffered, abused, and ridiculed for these rights that we have today.
Throughout the book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the main character, Huck goes through major changes. The story is set before the Civil War in the South. Huck is a child with an abusive father who kidnaps him from, Widow Douglas and Miss Watson, the people he was living with. He eventually escapes from his father and finds Jim, Miss Watson’s runaway slave. As Huck travels with Jim, Huck begins to realize that Jim is more than a piece of property. During the travel down the river, Huck makes many decisions that reflect his belief that Jim deserves the same rights he has. Because of these realizations, Huck chooses to do the right thing in many instances. Some of these instances where Huck does the right thing instead of society’s version of the right thing include, Huck apologizing to Jim, not turning Jim in, and tearing up the letter he was going to send to Miss Watson.
"Late Effects of Treatment for Childhood Cancer (PDQ®)." The Canadian Press n.d.: n. pag. - National Cancer Institute. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
.... Although Jim is a slave, Huck has already learned to recognize Jim as a real human being with emotions and deep consideration for his family. Because of these conclusions, he will do anything to fight for his friend’s rightful freedom.
It was one of the most exciting and nerve racking days of our lives. Although we were finally leaving high school, the feeling of being unsure didn’t go away. The whole day was full of practicing for the big moment when the entire class graduated on to a new beginning. All the girls wore shiny bright red robes and the guys were dressed in a shiny navy blue. Standing there, I had no idea what to expect. Some things I were aware of, my friends were leaving and we wouldn’t be the same friends anymore. My role was that of being so aware of the future that I was too shocked to soak in the present; being a pessimist was my main goal and everything I was sure of became true.