Kate Bowler was just 35 years old when she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. Dealing with a cancer diagnosis, she says, is so much more than just going through treatment, and that she has struggled to adjust to what her role is as a person living with the disease.
“As a cancer patient I didn’t know what my job was,” Bowler tells SurvivorNet. “Is it to be really cheerful so that people want to take care of me? Is it to be a super Google-er where I know what all my symptoms are?”
Read MoreLike many survivors, Bowler says she felt pressured to be positive around her loved ones so that they weren’t worried. However, privately, she was extremely worried and anxious.
“I didn’t know how to figure out how scared I should be,” she says.
One of the messages experts tell SurvivorNet always is that there’s no one right way to react to a cancer diagnosis. Some people feel angry, others are scared, some get depressed, some get hopeful and others go through cycles of all of these emotions. The important thing is to be kind to yourself — and accept that these feelings are normal.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.