How to cope with cancer-related anniversaries?

I just had my one year from diagnosis day, and I understand your feelings completely. I think doing something special for yourself is such a great idea, since others truly don’t understand what these days mean. A gentle reminder to those you care about is something I’m trying to get better at as well. I bought myself a pretty ring to remind myself what I’ve been through, hope you can find a way to celebrate yourself!

Whitney, thank you. A ring is a beautiful idea. I'm Catholic and just love Mother Mary so much. In fact when I saw that test results were in my patient portal on the 11th I decided to wait till after Mass on the 12th to look at the results in Mother Mary's spot at church. I didn't think anything would be wrong but my gut told me this time might be different than previous biopsies. It was comforting to be with Mother Mary as I read them then after spending time with her,I went to one of our priest to be anointed with oil. I think I will order a new Mother Mary necklace. Thank you for the idea and letting me share with you. Hugs

Cat… Beautiful faith you possess, thank you for sharing 🙏

I had a tough night last night at work but today is good. My husband knows how to manage my mood. He bought me some new cabinets for the garage and he's installing those and organizing with me.

I don’t pay attention to diagnosis, my anniversary that I celebrate is when I had surgery to remove the cancer. Diagnosis changed your life in a negative way, but surgery is the control you have over the cancer-a day to celebrate in my opinion!

Why would you want to celebrate the bad memories? I concentrate on the good in my life not the bad

Cancer anniversaries can bring up complex emotions, and it's completely understandable to want to acknowledge these meaningful dates in your healing journey. Creating your own ritual or special activity can be a powerful way to honor what you've been through - whether that's treating yourself to something you enjoy, spending time in nature, or simply taking a moment to reflect on your strength and resilience. Many people in the cancer community find that taking control of how they mark these days helps them feel more empowered, and some also choose to gently let loved ones know when these dates are approaching if they'd like support.