Meg Berte Owen
Meg Berte Owen, a 13-year survivor of Hodgkin's disease, shares her philosophy on life after cancer. Meg stresses the importance of support after active treatment and making her new reality the best it can be. She recounts the thrilling experience of participating in the Tour of Hope, a coast-to-coast relay bike ride led by Lance Armstrong, in which she rode 80 to 100 miles a day, despite having significant damage to her lungs as a result of her disease and its treatment.
Cathy Bueti
Cathy Bueti, widowed at age 25 and diagnosed with breast cancer age 31, is a seven-year survivor. She shares highlights from her memoir, Breastless in the City: A Young Woman's Story of Love, Loss, and Breast Cancer. Cathy tells of her determination to date throughout her illness with humor and courage.
Nicholas DuBrul
Nicholas Du Brul, a 25-year survivor of the childhood cancer Ewing's sarcoma, reports that he went on to marry after treatment and that he and his wife are parents of a five-year-old girl, "one of many miracles."
Karen Greene
Karen Greene, a seven-year survivor of metastatic bladder cancer, observes, "We faced our mortality and are still here -- live long and prosper!"
Alice Hecht
Alice Hecht was initially diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000. Five years later she learned that her cancer had returned. Alice shares how her experiences as the Chief of Protocol at the United Nations, where she is responsible for ensuring that the rules that prescribe good manners in diplomatic life are observed, and as a participant protocols have shaped her philosophy. "I have accepted that to be healthy means to live with the health that my body gives me," she writes. She shares her story in Bridges, MSKCC's survivorship newsletter.
Linda Horowitz Freedman
Linda Horowitz Freedman, wife of an eight-year survivor of lung cancer, recounts the effect of her husband's illness on her children and family life and how the strength of her family was vital during very trying times. "We're a team and this journey would not have been possible without their [family members'] combined love and support."
Bob Kosinski
Bob Kosinski, a 15-year survivor of a brain tumor, discusses the enormous challenges of being permanently visually impaired as a result of his tumor. "This was not an easy experience for me. It took me a long time to realize that this was a new way of life for me -- a new normal."
Jerry Machusak
Treated more than 28 years ago, Jerry recalls his uncertain future and the possibility that he might never get a chance to know his son. "Back in 1983, I was afraid of being no more than a picture to my son, but instead in 2009 I took a picture of my son. And it's a very special picture, indeed. "
Brian Wickman
Brian Wickman, who survived thyroid cancer and sarcoma, asks, "How long must one survive to be considered a cancer survivor?" His answer? "Surviving is just another word for living. And so, as long as I'm alive, I'm a survivor." He expresses how love helped him through his experience.
