A thread on feelings cancer patients often have that no one expects or talks about:

So, I finished radiation treatment today. Yay! From diagnosis, through surgery, chemo, and radiation, it's been 8 months of hard work. But ...

I have 10 years of medication in front of me. And not pleasant easy don't-even-notice medication. Meds with side effects. And that's if I'm lucky, and the cancer does not return.

Only after 10 years, and maybe not even then, will my cancer be considered "cured." For now, it is only "in remission." Because my cancer spread to my lymphatic system, the likelihood that there are still cancer cells somewhere in my body is high.

So my feelings are complex. My family is (rightfully) celebratory. But I am cautious about celebrating what might not be my last time through this, and very aware that I am only starting a new leg of this experience. One that will get less attention and less support.

My radiation team gave me a full-seized 'diploma' (their word), and I am flabbergasted as to what I would even do with it. It says I have earned "degrees in courage and patience." This is bullshit.

I have in fact done work that should earn me a degree. But that work was self-education and self-advocacy. And that is not remotely over for me.

My family greeted me in the parking lot with balloons and flowers and cookies, and I am touched. It was so sweet! But I will need that kind of support for the rest of my life. It is an end for them. It is not an end for me.

If you have a cancer patient in your life, give them space for milestones to be a time of ambivalence, even fear. Understand that this disease is probably not what you think it is, and their experience may not be what you expect.

Celebrate with them; cheer them on. When they need that. But DO NOT STOP when the dramatic stuff, the stuff of movies and tv shows, has ended and they have to grapple with a lifetime of being touched by cancer.

( @ThanksCancer , figured you'd find this relatable)