Local Resident Finds Cancer Support from IHadCancer.com
Photos
New York, NY February 28- Cancer doesn't necessarily end when a patient enters remission. For Samantha Knox, a 24-year-old Rhabdomyosarcoma survivor from Woodbury, the emotions of ending treatment and leaving the "safe cocoon of doctors, hospitals and regimented schedules" was one of the hardest parts of dealing with cancer. She didn't know how to cope with "being done."
"I tried to talk to my friends about it but they didn't understand," Knox said. "They said that I should be happy and grateful that I was healthy. But I would just end up getting mad at all of them because they had no idea. I eventually just stopped talking to people about my cancer emotions because I felt like no one would understand."
However, at the advice of her mother, Samantha decided to try her luck on an online social support network, IHadCancer.com. On the site, she was able to search for other cancer survivors, fighters and supporters by gender, age, type of cancer and even location. After connecting with a few different fighters and survivors, she took to the discussion board feature of the site to ask how others dealt with post-treatment depression. That's when she first connected with Elizabeth Fortune, a 37-year-old Hodgkin's Lymphoma survivor from Arkansas.
"Elizabeth responded to my question and said she had the same exact emotional experience. It was so helpful to know someone was feeling the same way I was, so I contacted her to ask her more about how she was dealing with it," Knox said.
"I totally understood," Fortune said. "Even though I'm quite a bit older and it's a different type of cancer, it was so helpful to have someone else who understood the crazy that goes on inside your head when dealing with cancer."
Despite the fact that they were hundreds of miles apart, Samantha and Elizabeth were able to find comfort in one another through their IHadCancer.com connection. They continue to email back and forth, sharing their "cancer crazy" thoughts of the month and checking in on each other.
"It's made a huge difference," Knox said. "Just having other people to talk to really has an enormous impact."
Are you interested in connecting with cancer survivors, fighters and supporters? Please join the community by registering at IHadCancer.com/User/Register.
About I Had Cancer.com
IHadCancer.com is a cancer support community that empowers people to take control of life before, during and after cancer. Cancer can be isolating and scary, and IHadCancer.com allows cancer fighters, survivors and their supporters to find real support and real answers from those who have been there. Members can search the community by diagnosis, age, gender, location, year of diagnosis, and type of user. Because with 1.5 million people diagnosed each year, there is no reason for anyone to have to feel alone.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Emily Giegerich at (212) 994-5270 or emily@ihadcancer.com.
RELATED LINKS
Post your own press release or community announcement to West Deptford Patch. Click here.
