My name is Emmie. I was first diagnosed with cervical cancer in May 2017 at Swedish. I went through radiation and chemo, but unfortunately the cancer wasn’t eradicated. I switched my care to UWMC in 2018 and underwent a radical hysterectomy surgery followed with 6 rounds of chemo. I lost all my hair and was in remission for almost 3 years. Then the cancer came back in Dec. 2020. I started immunotherapy which got rid of the cancer cells in the lymph nodes, but it wasn’t effective toward the solid tumor in my pelvic area. My best option was surgery to take out the tumor along with my bladder and rectum. So, I went through this huge surgery Jan. 2022 and ended up with permanent colostomy and urostomy. I also lost 10 lbs, weighing 99 lbs leaving the hospital. But praise God that I survived!! I have a large caring community of family, friends, and neighbors. And I have a strong faith in Jesus. But one thing I didn’t have was a community of people like me who speak the same language, who share the same struggles, and who have the same questions about how life can be after cancer.

 A friend of mine knew that I needed some support and introduced me to Cancer Lifeline. I had a few sessions of free counseling with Cancer Lifeline counselor after my big surgery. Then I started getting emails about all the wonderful classes Cancer Lifeline has to offer. I began to look forward to those weekly emails and sign up for any classes that would be helpful to me at the time. One of the first classes I signed up was the exercise class by Meryl to help with my lymphedema right after surgery. It was fun doing some gentle exercises alongside people who had similar struggles and journeys. My lymphedema got better, and then I started looking into some art classes to learn to have fun again through art expression. The class by Tomomi teaching Zentangle is one of my favorite art classes. It’s easy and relaxing and I ended up with a beautiful artwork that I did not see coming. Lately, I have also enjoyed many wonderful classes about different diets to optimize health. I love all of Amy’s classes because she always explains the science behind the food we eat and offers practical ideas and cooking lessons with her healthy recipes. Honestly, all the classes are wonderful, and I am so grateful to all the instructors who have taken their time out to help us cancer patients/survivors.

I wish I knew about Cancer Lifeline when I was first diagnosed in 2017. Even though I know for fact that I am not the only cancer patient in the world, but it can feel that way at times. Cancer Lifeline gave me a sense of community, taught me to have fun again, and offered me practical information to apply to my day to day needs like diets, sleep, and exercises. I am currently on immunotherapy infusion (Keytruda) every 3 weeks and hoping to get off of it in Aug when I get another clear CT report. What I learned on this almost 6 years of cancer journey is that we don’t need to give in to fear about the disease, we just need to look up (for me it’s my faith in God) and to look around for help. Cancer Lifeline definitely has been a big blessing for me. My husband and I decided to participate in the fundraising last year and this year. It is our wish that Caner Lifeline will continue to have enough resources to reach out to more cancer patients/survivors in need in the years to come.