Can you be a survivor when you are living with cancer?

PHOTO: Me getting this shirt on Christmas.

PHOTO: Me getting this shirt on Christmas.

For Christmas I got two of the same t-shirts: one from Brett and the other from Alicia and Gabe.

I like the shirt(s) for multiple reasons.

  1. It is designed well.

  2. I like gray shirts.

  3. Gray is the official color for brain tumor awareness.

  4. I always complain about not looking cancer-y enough and this shirt screams "CANCER!" (I know, punch me.)

I am not sure when it is appropriate to wear the shirt. Working out? Running errands? Walking a 5k? Who knows.

When I wear it I feel a bit self-conscious. I feel like I have a t-shirt on that says, "I have (or had) cancer." Why do I feel that way? Because the shirt is saying that.

But I am conflicted.

Am I survivor? Before I was aware I had cancer I thought "survivors" were people who were cancer-free. And knowing that I don't want to walk around with people thinking I am all better now. Because I am not cancer free.

However, now that I have cancer my perception has changed. I think people are survivors the moment they get diagnosed. They are survivors until they die.

But what about people who die? I guess that means they are no longer survivors. That sucks--if you die from cancer you shouldn't be labeled a "non-survivor".

Some marketing genius needs to come up with a new term for people who are currently in the fight. I want merchandise that says "warrior". Doesn't that make more sense? Warrior puts an image in your mind of a person who is battling it out. And if you die, you are still a warrior--a warrior who went out fighting.


Update from 2020 looking back: I am no longer a fan of the “war metaphor” for cancer. I don’t like anything about it, and have donated all of these t-shirts to Goodwill.

Liz Salmi

Liz Salmi is Communications & Patient Initiatives Director for OpenNotes at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Over the last 15 years Liz has been: a research subject; an advisor in patient stakeholder groups; a leader in “patient engagement” research initiatives; and an innovator, educator and investigator in national educational and research projects. Today her work focuses on involving patients and care partners in the co-design of research and research dissemination. It is rumored Liz was the drummer in a punk rock band.

https://thelizarmy.com
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