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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.

Angelynn-McCrary's picture
Angelynn-McCrary Connect

Survivor: Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

16 years ago you brought me to my knees in a hospital bed for my daughter's 2 and Birthday and many birthdays following that. I was 25 years old and you told me I wouldn't see 30. I missed family vacations , recitals, and 1000 other small but important parts of my children's lives waiting to let you win. You gave me hundreds of gained and lost pounds and thought you would break my body. The parting gift of opiate addiction and obesity was one I gladly threw away even if it took ten years. I made it to 40, finished college, became a woman's health advocate, and gave birth to a beautiful healthy son. Sober and 140 pounds lighter than you left me. It has been 5 years since we last spoke and while I know you still have my contact info, God and God only will ever bring me to my knees again. I thank you for the lessons in strength, humility, and for weeding people out of my life who were as toxic as the drugs it took to send you on your way. I thank you for letting me meet others you have danced with who walked away. I know that the strong ,beautiful , people whose lives you took, and families you destroyed will never stop fighting you in all your names and hiding places. I thank the medical profession you taught me and the advocate I became first in hospice care, and now as a lactation consultant. I wallowed in the death you created, working for others hoping to pay whatever penance I needed to to pay for surviving you Now I welcome new life for myself, my new son, and others. A few of these new lives are children of survivors too. If we see each other again I will never hesitate or cower again. The war may eventually be yours but the battles won't be worth your time or effort. When I eventually slide into my final resting place it will be full of life, and whatever remains of you will be no more than dust.
Oct 06 2016 11:19am |
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