Where the Real Healing Begins

Today marks 11 years since I was diagnosed with breast cancer—for the second time. It’s a moment etched into my life forever. What most people don’t know is that my journey didn’t start there.

In 2009, I was first diagnosed. I had two lumpectomies and was told I didn’t need radiation or any further treatment. I trusted what I was told. I believed I was cancer-free.

But they were wrong.

Four and a half years later—BAM!—it came back with a vengeance. It was aggressive, and it was terrifying. Only then did I learn what I should have been told the first time: radiation is often recommended after a lumpectomy because it dramatically reduces the chance of recurrence. Microscopic cancer cells can remain—and radiation helps destroy them. No one told me that.

That second diagnosis didn’t just bring back cancer—it shattered my sense of safety. It broke open every part of me. Physically, emotionally, spiritually—I was wrecked. And when the treatment ended, I wasn’t “better.” I was just… alone.

That’s when I realized: survivorship isn’t the end of the cancer journey. It’s the beginning of a new one. A complicated, invisible one no one prepares you for.

For breast cancer survivors, the emotional toll can be staggering. We’re 80% more likely to develop PTSD symptoms. One in four of us battles clinical depression, and nearly half suffer from anxiety disorders. Most devastating of all, cancer survivors are twice as likely to die by suicide than those who’ve never had cancer.

These aren’t just numbers. They are lives. They are stories. They are people—mothers, sisters, friends—quietly suffering while smiling on the outside. I know, because I was one of them.

That’s why I founded Each Moment We’re Alive. What began as my personal struggle turned into a calling—a mission to create spaces where survivors can be seen, heard, and truly supported after the last chemo drip, after the final radiation zap, after the follow-up scan. Because that’s when the silence becomes deafening. And that’s when support is needed most.

Support groups matter. In those circles, you don’t have to explain your pain. You don’t have to fake strength. You don’t have to carry shame for not “bouncing back.” In a room filled with others who’ve walked a similar path, healing becomes possible.

Together, we navigate: Grief – Shame and guilt – Body Image issues – Identity crises - Isolation

But in a support circle, there’s an unspoken language—a look, a tear, a laugh that says, Me too. It’s sacred. And it’s necessary.

I wish every survivor had access to that kind of support—but too many don’t. That’s why Each Moment We’re Alive exists. To break the silence. To fill the gap. To talk face to face with survivors and listen. To  remind survivors that they are not alone.

So please—reach out and talk about it. .

You matter. You are not invisible And you don’t have to walk this journey alone. Not anymore.

💗— Cindy Sheridan Murphy

Founder, Each Moment We’re Alive / Cancer Survivor