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I Had Cancer Guidelines

We're all here for similar reasons - we've been touched by cancer in some way. It’s up to all of us to show each other that no one is alone. Your IHadCancer profile is your own place to call home during this crazy thing called cancer, we just ask that you keep these simple guidelines in mind when participating.

1. Always Be Nice. This is a place for connections and conversations – we encourage you all to talk openly but please remain considerate in all of your engagement. Don’t post obscene, hateful or objectionable content. Abuse and disrespect will not be tolerated in the IHC community and is subject to deletion and user removal at our discretion.

2. Be a Good Friend. The IHC community is a family. Please remember to be a good friend to the connections you make on IHC. Ask questions that you wish someone would ask you; if you can’t find the right words to say, send a hug, it can speak louder than words. A simple gesture goes a long way.

3. Don't Spam. This includes sending unsolicited messages of any nature, posting links to unrelated content, promoting a survey, fundraiser or product where it shouldn’t be promoted. If you aren’t sure if something is appropriate to post, e-mail us and we’ll let you know.

4. Think Before You Post. Everything you post on IHadCancer is secure, but it is up to you to monitor how much or how little information you are sharing about yourself and your experience. Please don’t share personal or identifiable information like your mailing address or your full name and don’t share other member’s information.

5. If You See Something, Say Something. We work hard to make sure these guidelines are followed closely but if you see something that doesn’t’ feel right to you, please let us know. We review every report we receive and will take anything you say to heart. We promise.

6. Be Open. Welcome newcomers and help guide them through this journey based on your own experience. Whether you are a survivor, fighter, caregiver or supporter, you have valuable information that can very well help someone else who is just beginning the cancer journey. Be open to sharing experiences and give someone else the gift of your time.

Thanks for being a part of our community. It’s up to all of us to ensure that IHadCancer remains a place for us all to call home when dealing with the ups and downs of a cancer diagnosis.

RuthT's picture
RuthT Connect

Survivor: Cervical Cancer

Dear Darling Cancer, I made you my best friend - thought about you night and day. And that way you got way less scary. Keeping you, my enemy, close, I realised you needed me for your own survival. You are so co-dependant, like nothing else, and weak because of it. If I die, you die so your game is stupid. When you realise that you get even weaker and I get your strength. Sucked in! We were an inseparable couple, but you were not my better half. I focussed on you til I realised I wanted to focus on my Self and my body instead. I did stuff that makes me feel free and beautiful. Stuff that made my world beautiful, like swinging on the swings in the kids playground. And that earned me my continued mental wellbeing by creating peace of mind. Beauty is one of the medicines of the soul, or so said Walt Disney and I believe him. Through you I learned to listen - to know the difference between emptiness, compassion and silliness. I can still hear the truth of a thing because of the skills I learned through your presence. I discovered I have a voice because of you, and that voice is worth hearing. That internal voice saved my life, destroyed you, and now I'm coming up to 22 years post 3-month prognosis. You might be the most horrible thing roaming the entire universe, but you're powerless over a well made up mind living with a peaceful soul.

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