Sharing cancer stories fulfills an important role for patients, survivors, their families, and communities, as survivorship depends not only on medical treatment, but also on support and solidarity among people.

Receiving a cancer diagnosis can impact patients on a psychological level, leading them to experience emotional distress. This may affect how they relate with people around them. Many try to find solace in solitude and isolation, or are afraid of how people might react to the news. Nonetheless, many survivors and their communities have found how useful and empowering it can be to tell one’s story. Indeed, sharing experiences of cancer survivorship can help both survivors and newly diagnosed patients. Comprehensibly, hearing from others in the “same boat” can be comforting, if not inspiring.

By hearing stories of facing cancer, patients can undertake their journey with renewed inspiration. This practice can build bonds of support and solidarity not only within the patients’ own community, but also among survivors. The value of sharing cancer survivorship stories goes beyond the benefits it can have on patients’ well-being. It shows how we can beat the odds, no matter how much these are against us. That’s why in FAITH, we believe in the power of storytelling as fundamental vehicle of empowerment.