Woman After Cancer
Brandie Sellers
February 28, 2026, will mark 15 years since my breast cancer diagnosis. I’m embarking on a writing project in which I will take the blog pieces I wrote during treatment and write reflections on those events and life 15 years later.
A friend asked me what I hope to gain from this project. I hadn’t really thought about it, but the question caused me to wonder. Here are my intentions for engaging with these memories and writings:
Reminders of the lessons. I don’t think I’ve forgotten, but reading my words, which have been gathering internet dust, will probably bring thoughts to the forefront of my mind that I have not entertained in some time.
I’ll learn something. My favorite parts of writing are the surprises that end up on the page, and the way my brain feels when I learn something through writing and reflecting on my words. I love the mystery of writing.
The ability to connect with others. I had my blog up for several years in remission, and then, in graduate school, I let my site lapse. I was worried that too much self-disclosure would harm my clients. I was afraid to be my whole person publicly, a plight many counselors experience at the end of their graduate programs. After almost a decade of practice,
I have learned without a doubt that my humanity is the gift I have to give my clients. Clients who are in cancer treatment or post-treatment seem to find it helpful to hear about my struggles when they ask about them. And what I’ve learned about living with remission helps me have empathy for clients with other existential problems that have no solutions. My friend Patti Digh said, “The shortest distance between two people is a story.” I hope sharing my stories keeps connecting me to others.
Healing. I am certain that healing from the trauma of two cancer diagnoses and treatment is a lifetime assignment. I know that as we age, our view of the world and our place in it widens. As my world has widened, and my experience of life has gotten richer, my connections to people and beauty have helped me heal, and by that I mean feel, my grief and rage and despair. It is easier for me now to experience joy in the midst of suffering than it ever has been, and I suspect that as I continue healing, my joy will continue to grow. Sometimes healing comes in unexpected ways. An adult who was pivotal in my adolescence reached out a few years ago to say that they had just been through cancer treatment, had read my blog, and found solace in my words. That full circle moment was joyful and healing for me.
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