“Hello! My name is Sam, @cancerculture. I’m 23 years old and a Leukemia survivor. I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at 20 and my whole life changed in an instant. When I was first diagnosed I was an engineering major working at Starbucks. I had to drop all of my classes, quit my job and start the fight of my life: 846 days of chemotherapy, which put me through things that words cannot even begin to describe. I lost my ability to walk, lost the feeling in my hands and feet, and the most obvious all of my hair. I watched myself go from someone who would hike mountains weekly to now barely being able to climb a flight of stairs.
Being diagnosed with cancer at a young age has simultaneously been the worst and the best thing to happen to me. While I’ve lost so much from cancer, what I’ve gained from the experience makes up for it in spades. I’ve gained a remarkable will to live and a community of people who support me each and everyday. I’ve created goals and accomplished things I never thought I would be able to. I’m now a psychology major with the hopes of getting my masters in social work one day, to help children and young adults who have chronic and terminal illnesses. I’m running an etsy shop Cancer Culture Co. where I try to spread cancer awareness by sharing my dark humor with others. Through making jokes to cope with my experience I’ve gained so much and helped so many people, which is my only goal: To give others going through similar situations inspiration and to make light out of such a dark situation.”
