title: Living with cancer: perspectives on a five year journey.
abstract: This is a personal story of the lived experience of the authors, both nurses, who as partners face ovarian cancer. We describe the initial impact of such a diagnosis and its immediate life-changing consequences, treatment decisions and sequelae, remission and recurrence, and choices about living with a chronic illness and the ever-present specter of death. We recognize that our experience is uniquely ours, yet we believe it has meaning for all patients and caregivers, as well as the many health professionals who treat, care for, guide and comfort those who bear the burden of cancer.
authors.affiliation: Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, 418 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19106-4217, USA. strumpf@nursing.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Neville E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Strumpf
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Buhler-Wilkerson
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D010166:Palliative Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D012008:Recurrence; D012944:Social Support; D014481:United States