Welcome to my Podcast, The Wellness Project with Des. On today’s Podcast Episode, I interview writer, editor, PhD student, and three-time cancer survivor living with Lynch Syndrome, Sam Rose.
Sam shares her experiences with cancer, the physical and emotional toll, as well as how her cancer diagnoses and living with Lynch Syndrome have affected the relationships in her life.
18 polyps were found during a colonoscopy in 2010 when Sam was 22 years old. Two were cancerous. Because she was so young and there were so many, they removed the whole colon. Sam was diagnosed with Lynch Syndrome soon after.
Lynch Syndrome- “is an inherited condition that increases your risk of colon cancer, endometrial cancer, and several other cancers.”
Flash forward to 2018 when Sam was 30 years old. She was diagnosed with two different cancers, womb cancer, and jejunum cancer within a day of each other.
Due to the three types of cancer, Sam’s colon was removed along with her appendix, jejunum, head of the pancreas, gallbladder, and bile duct. She also underwent a full hysterectomy.
Sam has gone on to start her Ph.D. where she studies the benefits creative writing can have for cancer survivors. Sam discusses her struggle with PTSD symptoms such as intrusive thoughts and nightmares. She then explains how her research shows that writing narratives can actually help to reduce intrusive thoughts.
Being a writer, Sam recently released her Memoir, Gut Feelings: Coping With Cancer and Living With Lynch Syndrome. It is about her experiences with and the emotional effects of cancer survivorship, and how cancer survivors can practice self-care.
Sam hopes her book can help people as well as spreads the word far and wide to as many people as possible. She hopes people can read it and find it helpful, or at the very least, feel less alone.
Unfortunately, most of us know someone with cancer or someone who has had cancer. If you want to learn about the benefits creative writing can have for survivors or if you want to learn how you can be more helpful to those with a cancer diagnosis, then you won’t want to miss this episode.
Listen Here —>
Selfcare Tips:
- Think about who you are going to be talking to. Are they the right people you can confide in?
- Think about how many people you want to confide in
- Designate a person to update family and friends
- The internet can be your friend but it can also be your enemy
- Do not google- have someone else google for you and have them filter it if you need to know something
- Show gratitude for the small things throughout the day
How relationships are affected/tips:
- Saying the wrong thing is better than saying nothing at all
- Just saying I’m sorry you are going through this, this sucks
- Showing empathy or sympathy
- Don’t say, “Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.” It puts the burden on the person with cancer to think of something for you to help them with
- Do something practical- offer to take them to appts, bring food, send care packages
- Something practical or something kind
- Surprise packages
Recommendations —>
Where to Find Sam Rose —>
- Website
- Email: writer.sam@outlook.com
- Facebook Page
- Speaking Cat Podcast
- Peeking Cat Literary Magazine