As it relates to cancer, "survivor" is a loaded word. From a practical standpoint, it is difficult to define because cancer is a disease that can come back even many years after it seems to have been "cured" (not surprisingly, the concept of being "cured" of cancer is also controversial). Choosing the point at which a person becomes a survivor, then, is tricky. From an emotional standpoint, the term survivor can often be challenging for those who have been diagnosed with cancer. With so much variation between patients in terms of cancer types, treatments, responses to treatment, etc., the term can take on so many meanings that some find it objectionable.
Personally, I try not to tell people who have cancer how they should feel or how they should describe themselves or their disease. While that seems pretty obvious, I don't think that it precludes celebrating people who have taken a productive approach to how these terms are used. In this longread, Suleika Jaouad, who was been diagnosed with cancer in her early 20s and is writing a series for the New York Times, discusses what the term survivor means to her. I found her reflections to be one of the more thoughtful and meaningful considerations of the topic that I have seen.
"Life, Interrupted: Am I a Cancer Survivor?" by Suleika Jaouad
Published in the New York Times, July 12, 2012
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/12/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-cancer-survivor/
Eric
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