Stand Up To Cancer

Faye Harris

In a piece for the Huffington Post entitled "Unemployed Due to Illness, Glad to Be Alive," Faye Harris tells her cancer story. At 51, Harris was diagnosed with rectal cancer and wound up losing her accountant position at Emory University Hospital. In spite of everything she's been through since her diagnosis, Harris says she's happier now than before: "I have to get up and say every morning I'm alive. Being above ground is a good thing . . . Even though I'm suffering, people in some places have it a little worse, so get up off your butt and start your day."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/27/unemployed-due-to-illness_n_244297.html

Judy Elsley

This article out of Ogden, Utah, tells the story of British professor, Judy Elsley, who after facing cancer at the age of 23 realized "she was mortal, life was short, and if there were things she wanted to do, she had better get on and do them." After finding her way to Weber State University in 1990, Elsley became the leader of several campus programs, found inspiration working with nontraditional students, and even became an expert quilter. "Having gone through something like Hodgkins, there wasn't much else that was very scary to me," she says in the piece. "So when I thought of taking the risk of giving up my job, selling all my stuff in England, gathering up my money and coming over here on a visitor's visa, I just said: 'Go for it.' And I've pretty much had that attitude ever since."
http://www.standard.net/live/news/179247

Kaylin Marie

Kaylin's blog, "Cancer is Hilarious: Terminally Illin'," covers her treatment and recovery after being diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. With raw honesty and plenty of humor, Kaylin provides an amazing look at the experience twenty-somethings with cancer face when they "refuse to go the way of headscarves and hospital gowns." She writes in her most recent entry, "Life after cancer is a wonderful and terrifying thing - my body feels stronger with every passing day, but my psyche is taking quite the beating . . . Though chemo was the toughest trial of my life, I was able to revert to a safe, catatonic state in which I had no responsibility other than getting well. Now I've got to start living again."
http://cancerisnotfunny.blogspot.com/

Jack Beckman
This story out of Sonoma, California tells the story of Jack Beckman, a cancer survivor and professional drag racer, who now spends his free time visiting the cancer ward at his local hospital to help fellow patients through the treatment process. He tells his story honestly: "I am the same person I was before, with 10 percent less energy. Somber? Yes, I think that's a good word for it. I'm a little bit somber about it. I don't have the same edge I had before . . . Anyone who has cancer or who has survived cancer should continue to do what they find gives them joy. And drag racing gives me my joy."
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090725/NEWS/907259962?Title=Cancer-survivor-Jack-Beckman-Drag-racing-gives-me-joy-

As always, we invite you to share your stories in the comments below.