Finishing treatment for cancer is like falling off of a mountain after your climbing rope has been cut. Well meaning folks are cheering wildly, encouraging the celebration of such a monumental event. As you plummet toward what some call “returning to normal” or “the new normal” you realize that you are free falling into some primal place of uncertainty without a sense of where you are. You look up at the top of the cliff and see your doctors, nurses and all the caregivers who have served you waving kindly as they turn from you to face the next newly diagnosed patient. You’re on your own; you hope you land in a soft spot. You think, “Hey where’s my parachute?”

It only takes a few seconds to receive the news that you have been diagnosed with cancer. Yet, from that point on your world has been changed forever. You enter a vast terrain of uncertainty, isolation and insecurity when you finish treatment for cancer. What is it like to face daily life now that you are finished with treatment? Fear of recurrence, anxiety and depression related to uncertainty, along with loss and financial difficulties, as well as concerns around sexuality are all a part of this new territory. You may feel alone and distressed. You have all the knowledge within you to understand and create your own healing but sometimes you need guidance to help you find where you are and support you in discovering where you want to go.

From Surviving the Storm:Finding Your Way Through the Wreckage of Cancer by Cheryl Krauter