‘Cancer-free is a meaningless term’

Sandra Dryden of Kansas City, Missouri, is a retired pharmacist who is battling ovarian cancer.

“I can no longer say that I am basically a healthy person. I also discovered that I have a strong streak of denial. I did not accept my diagnosis until my eyelashes and eyebrows were gone from chemotherapy.

“After my diagnosis was presented to me, as mentioned previously, I was in denial for a long time. I thought: 'I'm basically healthy. There must be a mistake. I don't feel ill. I'm very alone with this.'"

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Sandra’s six words to describe her cancer experience are “Cancer-free is a meaningless term.” Share your six words here.

Sandra’s words, which were shared digitally through Tell KC, have been lightly edited for clarity.

As part of a local reporting project around the upcoming Ken Burns documentary series, Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies, KCPT presents Cancer in KC.

We want to learn more about how cancer affects our community. How has cancer impacted your life? Share your story.