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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.

NicolasHershey's picture
NicolasHershey Connect

Fighter: Cervical Cancer

Dear Cancer, I am probably the only person here that doesn't hate you. You may not have invaded me, I may have invited you. Actually you could have been a gift. I am a Trans man, I didn't really mind having female parts that I couldn't see but having surgery to remove them means I can take less testosterone which is easier on the body. If for some reason I could not get access to T, then my estrogen would still stay low. What a blessing for a Trans man to have cervical cancer, right? Only thing is... you came at the worst possible moment of my life. I just lost the most amazing woman I could ever meet. I am on the verge of being homeless and have been looking work a year now, running out of money, and have been living off a credit card. I am LGBT, a lonely life as it is, plus a little socially awkward, sensitive. Now I have the news that you are in my life, and it is suppose to be devastating news. I don't hate you, I hate the fact that this humanity, societal social security around me is completely or nearly absent upon your arrival. You remind me of how alone I really am, and maybe you have come to take me home to the universe, away from American Western Patriarchal Capitalism, so I no longer have to suffer. I just might want you to stay and consume me. Maybe you will spark a change. Either way, I don't hate you, and I am not angry at you. Of course I wouldn't want you to be anywhere you are not wanted, but I guess that's not how I feel. Maybe I invited the vampire into my house.

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