the
real
feels
of
cancer
who am i?
Meet me. Lynn Behan. I was diagnosed with stage III cancer in July 2022. In October 2023, the cancer metastasized: welcome now to stage IV.
Life is a continual carousel of doctors’ visits, treatments and medications. All of which I am extremely grateful, as they are allowing me to stay alive.
The road has not been easy and probably the biggest surprise was the “mental” aspect. I never expected, nor was I warned, how big a part that now plays in my life.
The way that I navigated these feelings and emotions was to put them into words.
I hope by reading my poems, you will find a bit of yourself in them.
the real feels of cancer book
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My poems are about navigating the emotions, feelings and mind games of cancer chaos.
These are the emotions I have been feeling for 3 years. Written in the wake of my Stage IV cancer diagnosis. It became an outlet of unshared emotions, truths that I could not say out loud but needed to express.
My collection captures the raw, everyday moments of living through the unimaginable.
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I wrote this book with the intent of letting others know that it is OK not to be OK. That you will never be the person you were prior to diagnosis and that too is OK. But you must always remember: it wasn’t your fault,
You are allowed to have bad days along with the good days, and you must surround yourself with people who will allow you to be the new you.
I hope this book can be a way for you to share your feelings with others. So they too can know what is swirling in your mind on a daily basis.
May these poems and this experience bring you some peace and contentment on your cancer journey.
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$5 from every book sale will be donated to the Children’s Cancer Center.
I feel very strongly about wanting to ease the pain of children who have been diagnosed with cancer. Yes, I and many in my generation have been diagnosed with cancer. This is not to be diminished, and hopefully, we will live many more years. During those years, we will be dealing with medical and mental treatments.
However, a child who has been diagnosed with cancer will now have a lifetime to have to deal with many of these same issues. Their families will share in their anguish right beside them every step of the way.
Help me help them to lessen this burden even the slightest.
The programs that the Children's Cancer Center offers will help bring some joy, happiness and support into their lives as they and their families navigate their new paths.
poem : past
I don’t want my youth back
i want the future
i don’t want to relive yesterday
i want many more tomorrows
i am not looking in the rearview
i am looking straight out the windshield
so yesterday be damned
tomorrow please be mine