Share Your Story

Share Your Story Submissions

There are so many questions that come with a cancer diagnosis — questions about treatment, side effects, caregiving, survivorship and more.
Your stories help us achieve our mission of combining science and humanity to make cancer understandable.
To share your story, submit it via a Word document to editor@curetoday.com for your chance to have your story highlighted here, and please be sure to include "Share Your Story" in the subject line.
CURE® accepts submissions of personal essays from readers relating to their own cancer experience. Submission of your work to CURE® does not guarantee publication. CURE® does not offer compensation for general submissions.
Submissions shall:

  • Consist of 500-800 words.
  • Be submitted to editor@curetoday.com as an attachment in a Word document.
  • Consist of original work created entirely by you and of which all rights belong to you. The work should not have been published elsewhere or currently submitted elsewhere.
  • Not violate any person or entity’s copyright, trademark, or right of privacy or any other right.

CURE® reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity, content, and length and in accordance with CURE®’s style guide and standards. By submitting your work to CURE®, you acknowledge that the ownership of the copyright rights in any edited version belong to CURE® as an original creation of a derivative work. You also acknowledge that if you submit work elsewhere, you will not have the right to use CURE®’s edited version without CURE®’s prior written permission.

Your Recent Stories

I Found My Voice in My Cancer Care and Refused Decisions I Was Uncomfortable With

September 6th 2022

After I was diagnosed with anal cancer, doctors wanted me to get an colostomy bag, but I refused. Later on, I had to voice my concern about a drug that could improve my chances for survival.

I Refused to Let My Stage 4 Cancer Be a Death Sentence

August 23rd 2022

When doctors told me that there was no more they could do for my stage 4 lung cancer, I refused to believe them, and wish other patients did the same.

Was My Cancer Diagnosis Really a Fluke Like My Oncologist Said?

August 17th 2022

Prior to my breast cancer diagnosis, my only goal in life was for my son to turn 16 so he could drive me to and from the local bars. Now I can’t help but think that my cancer was meant for me to change my life.

Unlike With Baseball, There Are No Rules When it Comes to Cancer

August 16th 2022

The rules of baseball are fair and as long as you do your best, the outcome is always desirable. But with cancer, there are no rules because cancer does what it likes and constantly changes the game.

Carrying My Father’s Torch for Colorectal Cancer Awareness

August 15th 2022

After my dad died of colorectal cancer, I knew I had to continue advocacy work in his honor.

A Clinical Trial Helped Me Beat the Odds Against Colorectal Cancer

August 12th 2022

The way I saw it was that I could either die from cancer, or from the side effects from the clinical trial. It was a difficult decision to make, but I am glad I chose it.

‘Closed for COVID-19:’ Receiving a Cancer Diagnosis at the Start of COVID-19

August 12th 2022

A stage 3 colorectal cancer survivor shares her story of being diagnosed right before the COVID-19 pandemic.

I am Forever Grateful for All That Cancer Has Taught Me

July 18th 2022

Beyond its lessons, cancer has also brought, along with the fear and anxiety, a conviction to empower myself and to create a life that I deserve: One in which joy can triumph over that fear and that anxiety.

To My Loved Ones, ‘You’ve Held the Pause Button Long Enough’ During My Cancer Journey

June 1st 2022

After I was diagnosed with cancer, I started to feel like a burden to my loved ones. So, I wrote a letter urging them to continue on with other aspects of their lives.

My Cancer Advocacy Keeps My Mom’s Legacy Alive

May 23rd 2022

After my mom died of colon cancer, I became an advocate with the hopes that fewer people would be lost to the disease.

How Naming My Lifesaving Ostomy Helped Me Gain Confidence and Find Body Positivity

May 19th 2022

After being diagnosed with colorectal cancer, my ostomy — which I named Toodles — opened up a world of body positivity for me.

If I Can Save One Life By Telling My Cancer Story, It Was All Worth It

May 18th 2022

After being diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer, I made it a mission to share my story and help others.

The Role of Willpower in Battling Cancer

May 9th 2022

My dad was always strong willed, and I think that helped him face aggressive, late-stage cancer.

Let It Go: A Popular Disney Song Taught Me How to Live After Cancer

March 25th 2022

I let go of knowing I won’t ever be without anxiety of my cancer growing again and let go of the idea of any “old me” returning. I was now focusing on the “new me.”

3 Stages of Coping With Cancer: There Are Better Days Ahead

March 3rd 2022

When I was first diagnosed with a stage 4 neuroendocrine tumor in my small intestine, I went through three stages of coping with my cancer: anger, planning and living life.

Families Need to Be More Open About Cancer Risks, Because it Could Save the Life of Someone You Love

February 24th 2022

Last year, my wife died of triple-negative breast cancer that was caused by a genetic mutation. If her family risk was discussed more openly, she — and many others with an inherited predisposition to cancer — may still be here today.

My Cancer Diagnosis Led Me to Discover a Family I Didn’t Know I Had

February 23rd 2022

After being diagnosed with stage 2 colorectal cancer, I discovered that I had two sisters — and a family predisposition to cancer.

I’m Not a Cancer Warrior or Fighter, I’m a ‘Traveler’

February 2nd 2022

A brain cancer survivor explains how she found a way to navigate her cancer journey as a traveler, grateful to be alive.

My Dad’s Death From Cancer Forced Me Out of the Shadows and Into a Spotlight of Advocacy

January 31st 2022

A teenager from Pennsylvania whose father died from colorectal cancer explains the impact it had on her life and how she has stepped into the field of advocacy to help others.

How Unexpected Bleeding Lead to a Cervical Cancer Diagnosis: 'I Was Shocked'

January 17th 2022

One woman explains how after experiencing irregular bleeding, she found out she had cervical cancer and her life changed immediately.

How Bone Strengtheners Led to a Dental Care Nightmare for One Patient With Cancer

January 10th 2022

A woman living with stage 4 cancer explains her painful experience with dental issues that came as a result of cancer treatment.

How an Oncology Social Worker Answers the Question, ‘Why Do You Do What You Do?’

December 19th 2021

An oncology social worker, who is also a cancer survivor, describes life lessons learned through work and personal experiences.

An Against-the-Odds Cancer Story Can Be Yours

November 28th 2021

A cancer survivor explains the miracle of finding out the brother she hadn't seen in 30 years was a genetic match to donate stem cells for her treatment.

What Can Happen if You Let Your Guard Down to Cancer

November 21st 2021

A woman describes the day she was diagnosed with breast cancer, which flipped her life upside down.

The Chef Who Lost His Stomach to Cancer

November 9th 2021

“The Next Food Network Star” runner-up shares his struggles with nutrition after a stomach cancer diagnosis and gastrectomy.

A Patient With Cancer's Gratitude for Clinical Trials

October 24th 2021

A stage 4 metastatic breast cancer survivor describes her experience with a clinical trials and how they changed the trajectory of her life.

Hope and Positivity May Help Lead to Recovery

October 23rd 2021

A retired registered nurse with tremendous compassion for patients writes a poem about how keeping hope alive throughout cancer treatment can help people recover.

3 Things Cancer Survivors Need to Remember: From Someone Who Has Been There

October 4th 2021

“Spending over a third of my life as a cancer survivor, I’ve learned a few lessons along the way,” said Lacey, who was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia 13 years ago.

The Emotional Trauma of Breast Cancer: ‘Can Anybody Hear Me?’

October 3rd 2021

A breast cancer survivor explains that many people deal with long-term emotional trauma as a result of their cancer experience and argues that more should be done to address it.

Cancer and Ostomies: A World Ostomy Day Perspective

October 2nd 2021

A bladder cancer survivor discusses the importance of World Ostomy Day and shares her own ostomy story.

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