‘I named my tumor Walt. Humor = tool’

Sarah Kallail, of midtown Kansas City, Missouri, had non-Hodgkins lymphoma. She is currently cancer-free and is going through radiation to prevent a relapse. She has shared many of her experiences on her blog.

“I am thankful for Cancer. What is that, you say? Thankful? Yes. Thankful. Cancer takes away so much. It strips us of our health, sanity, looks, money. Rips people we love from our lives. It steals our time. Leaves children without parents and parents without children. Cancer isn’t fair…not for anyone.

“And I’m thankful for it. It sounds funny, but Cancer can also give — if you let it. Cancer gave me perspective. It allows me to see the world differently, on a larger scale and on a much smaller scale.

“You're thrown into cancer. It's literally like being thrown down a scary twisty slide, and you don't know which way is up or down. We ended up at the hospital where my primary care physician works with the doctor he recommended. There was zero time to think about much. We needed to get me in treatment ASAP.

“Communication with doctors is hard. They don't say much to you or to each other. You have to educate the sh** out of yourself or else you're a lost lamb. My experience wasn't too bad. I had a huge support system.

“I'm just fine. I had a positive outlook the entire time. I keep saying ‘why let yourself be depressed?’ You have a choice how you handle this. I'd rather not be in a dark place; I want to be in a happy place with fun and laughter. And that's what I did.”

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Sarah’s six words (although she used more than six) to describe her cancer experience are “I named my tumor Walt. humor = tool.” Share your six words here.

Sarah’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.