Library and Academic Services: Oncology Nursing: Cancer Stories and Experience

Lived Experence

Stories and Experiences

This page contains books and videos of the stories of those who have battled with cancer in its various forms.

It also lists recommended papers dealing with the 'lived experience' of cancer from a research perspective.

Image source: Pixabay.com

Library resources

After the Cure: The Untold Stories of Breast Cancer Survivors by Emily K. Abel; Saskia K. Subramanian
Location: ebook

Publication Date: 2008

While there are hundreds of books about breast cancer, ranging from practical medical advice to inspirational stories of survivors, what has been missing until now is testimony from the thousands of women who continue to struggle with persistent health problems. ...
At my mother’s breast by Watson-Burgess, Heather.; National Film Board of Canada.
Location: Streaming

Publication Date: 2005

Filmmaker Heather Watson-Burgess is 27 years old. She is the daughter of a woman with breast cancer, who is the daughter of a woman with breast cancer, who is the daughter of a woman with breast cancer. She grew up waiting for her mom to get sick and wondering when she would follow.
At the Will of the Body: reflections on illness by Arthur W. Frank
Location: RC 265.6 .F73 A3 2002 (Located at NDC)

In this deeply affecting memoir, Arthur W. Frank explores the events of illness from within: the transformation from person to patient, the pain, the wonder,and the ceremony of recovery. ...
Bearing Witness by Kathryn Carter (Editor); Laurie Elit (Editor)
Location: ebook

Publication Date: 2009

Bearing Witness is a collection of stories from women who went through the diagnosis of ovarian cancer, and treatment for it, only to find that the cancer recurred and any hope of recovery was gone. ...
The C-Word by Jean Taylor
Location: ebook

Publication Date: 2000

The C-Word is an honest and forthright account of cancer. It deals with the loneliness the partner of a sufferer faces, the gruelling treatments of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and the terror and calm of facing death....
Cancer Stories: On Life and Suffering by David M. Gregory; Cynthia K. Russell
Location: ebook

Publication Date: 1999

In Cancer Stories five people share their journeys, their stories, and the suffering they faced before their deaths. These narratives chronicle the despair, hope, and love they experienced while living and dying with cancer,...
In My Own Time - Diary of a Cancer Patient by Viszmeg, Joseph, et al. ; National Film Board of Canada (Montreal)
Location: Streaming

Publication Date: 2011

In 1991, Joseph Viszmeg, an Edmonton filmmaker, was diagnosed with a rare form of adrenal cancer which was already spreading to other organs. Doctors called him terminally ill, with perhaps a year to live. Four years later, Joseph Viszmeg is very much alive, In My Own Time is his personal account of living with this disease. ...
Life to Be Lived : challenges and choices for patients and carers in life-threatening illnesses by Catherine Proot
Location: ebook

Publication Date: 2013

How do people face life-limiting illness and death? This challenging question is discussed in-depth in Life to be Lived by looking at the feelings, hopes, fears and stresses associated with life-threatening illnesses, often experienced by patients and their carers. ...
My Healing Journey : Seven Years with Cancer by Viszmeg, J. et al.; National Film Board of Canada
Location: Streaming

Publication Date: 2011

This new work, My Healing Journey: Seven Years with Cancer, blends segments of the first film with the extraordinary story of how, with the support of his family, he survived the roller coaster of a deadly cancer until his death in the summer of 1999. A mixture of personal journals, often humorous narration, medical interviews and moving images.
Through the Northern Looking Glass: breast cancer stories told by Northern native women by Lorelei Anne Lambert Colomeda
Location: RC 280 .B8 L273 1996 (Located at NDC)

In this book, thirteen Northern Native women relate their experiences as survivors of breast cancer. They speak about how they adapted to the disease, and look in particular at the ties they have built with family, friends, and their environment. The book also examines the clashing and blending of medical technology with traditional Native healing methods. An unusual and unique book.

Recommended Readings

Donovan, T., & Flynn, M. (2007). What Makes a Man a Man?: The Lived Experience of Male Breast Cancer. Cancer Nursing, 30(6), 464–470.
Male breast cancer constitutes a unique lived experience for men that is unparalleled in other disease profiles. The idea of living with a feminized illness was very distressing and stigmatizing for some men. Furthermore, treatment resulted in a profound change to the concept of their embodied selves and constituted a significant change to body image and sexuality.
Ettridge, K. et al. (2018). “Prostate cancer is far more hidden…”: Perceptions of stigma, social isolation and help‐seeking among men with prostate cancer. European Journal of Cancer Care, 27(2),
The purpose of this study was to provide in‐depth insight into men's experiences of prostate cancer, specifically: perceived stigma and self‐blame, social isolation, unmet need and help‐seeking. A qualitative descriptive approach was used.
Gordon, H., LoBiondo-Wood, G., & Malecha, A. (2017). Penis Cancer: The Lived Experience. Cancer Nursing, 40(2), E30–E38.
This qualitative study examined the experiences of men with penis cancer. Cancer of the penis is a rare and debilitating disease, affecting 1 in 100 000 men in Western countries. Although much has been written about the medical treatment of the disease, little has been published about the experiences of men who have penis cancer.
Howard, A., et al. (2014). Trajectories of social isolation in adult survivors of childhood cancer. Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 8(1), 80–93.
Long-term childhood cancer survivors may be at increased risk for poor social outcomes as a result of their cancer treatment, as well as physical and psychological health problems. Yet, important challenges, namely social isolation, are not well understood. Moreover, survivors' perspectives of social isolation as well as the ways in which this might evolve through young adulthood have yet to be investigated.
Howard, A., et al. (2016). Adult childhood cancer survivors’ narratives of managing their health: the unexpected and the unresolved. Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 10(4), 711–725.
Currently, 80 % of children diagnosed with cancer will be cured. However, many of these survivors go on to develop long-term health problems or late effects related to their previous cancer and therapy and require varying degrees of lifelong follow-up care. The purpose of this study was to identify the different ways that adult survivors of childhood cancer manage their medical and psychological challenges.
Jefferies, H., & Clifford, C. (2012). Invisibility: The Lived Experience of Women With Cancer of the Vulva. Cancer Nursing, 35(5), 382–389.
This study describes an exploration of the lived experience of 13 British women with cancer of the vulva who underwent surgical treatment. A review of the literature highlighted a paucity of knowledge as many studies were conducted during the 1980s and 1990s and investigated sexual functioning only.
Krigel, S., Myers, J., Befort, C., Krebill, H., & Klemp, J. (2014). “Cancer changes everything!” Exploring the lived experiences of women with metastatic breast cancer. International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 20(7), 334–342
The aim of this study was to further explore the lived experiences of women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC), to inform the development of interventions to enhance survivorship care for women with advanced disease.
Threader, J., & McCormack, L. (2016). Cancer‐related trauma, stigma and growth: the “lived” experience of head and neck cancer. European Journal of Cancer Care, 25(1), 157–169.
Head and neck cancer is associated with multiple layers of distress including stigma. Stigma attraction or devalued social identity is twofold: (1) it is a cancer associated with lifestyle risk factors and (2) treatment often results in confronting facial disfigurement. Subjective interpretations from nine head and neck cancer patients were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Wilmoth, M. (2001). The Aftermath of Breast Cancer: An Altered Sexual Self. Cancer Nursing, 24(4), 278–286.
The literature lacks descriptions of the effect that breast cancer treatments have on sexuality from the perspective of women who have lived through this experience. The purpose of this study was to describe aspects of sexuality that were important to women after breast cancer treatment.
Zeighami Mohammadi, S. et al. (2018). Reconstruction of feminine identity: the strategies of women with breast cancer to cope with body image altered. International Journal of Women’s Health, 10, 689–697.
Body image altered is the most important psychosocial concern associated with breast cancer. Yet, there is a paucity of information regarding strategies for coping with this problem. This study aimed to explore Iranian breast cancer women's strategies for coping with body image altered. This qualitative study was conducted in 2016-2017

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