Frustrated by Perfect Survirors

Hi Kyra​ 

Firstly, thank you for sharing this. ❤️ Honestly, I think there are probably more people reading your words and quietly nodding along than it might appear.

What you're describing is something many people don't talk about. We often see the "after" version of cancer in public. The person running fundraising events, mentoring others, smiling in photos, attending workshops, and looking like they've rebuilt their life. What we don't always see are the people who are still struggling years later, who are exhausted, grieving, dealing with ongoing side effects, working full-time because they have no choice, or wondering why everyone else seems to have recovered when they haven't. 

We could all use a gentle reminder not to compare our struggles to someone else's highlight reel. The woman running your fitness group may well have her own challenges that aren't visible. But equally, it's okay to acknowledge that seeing people who appear to be thriving can be painful when you're struggling. 

We know there is no single breast cancer story. The realities are incredibly varied, and one film or campaign could never capture the full breadth of what people live through. That’s an important part of what #TheWholeStory is about. Our film tells one story, but we want the campaign to create space for many more voices and perspectives, including those that too often go unseen or unspoken. 

As part of this, we’re inviting people across our network to share their whole story on their own social channels. If you feel comfortable, we’d love you to add your voice by sharing whatever parts of your story feel important to you, in whatever way feels right. You can use #TheWholeStory and tag @‌breastcancernetworkaustralia so we can see and help amplify it. By bringing more stories into the conversation, together we can build a much fuller picture of what breast cancer can mean and ensure a greater breadth of voices are heard.

Watch Bec's Whole Story here

Please be gentle with yourself. You don't have to be inspirational. You don't have to mentor anyone or run a fitness class anytime soon. You don't have to look perfect, feel grateful every day, or prove that you've "moved on." Sometimes just getting through the day is enough. Sending a big virtual hug. 💕 You're certainly not alone in feeling this way.