Cancer superheroes: KC survivors share their stories

“I named my tumor Walt. Humor = tool.”

“2-0, baby. No rematch, please.”

“Cancer is a word. Not a sentence.”

“Overcoming physical, social, economic, emotional hurdles.”

“Wonder when it will win.”

These short narratives are just a handful of the many our newsroom received from community members describing their experience with cancer.

As part of local reporting project around Ken Burns’ “Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies,” we asked Kansas Citians to tell us about how cancer has impacted them, and over 50 people responded.

Their submissions informed our reporting, like this story about two women who turned to blogging after their diagnosis. Others were sources for a major piece about the business of cancer.

Nearly all of the stories became part of a digital story wall, where patients, survivors and loved ones reflected on their experiences.

“I feel it is extremely important to share my story about my cancer journey for many reasons,” said Amanda Krysa, who was one of the first to share her story with our newsroom. She blogs about her ongoing battle with breast cancer.

“First and foremost, it makes me feel better when I can talk about it. It’s important to let cancer patients know that they are not alone,” she said.

Krysa said that, for her, it’s also helpful to hear other people’s cancer stories and relate to them.

“Cancer patients are all superheroes, and they all have an epic story to tell,” she said.