When facing a cancer prognosis, sometimes information isn’t power

My recent article in the Washington Post

Hello my wonderful Substack subscribers,

First, I want to take a moment to thank you for your support since I began publishing this Substack at the beginning of 2023. It has been six months of sharing my writing with the world and the response has been, simply put, breathtaking.

Thank you for taking the time to read what I have to say, for the thoughtful, engaging, and meaningful responses, and for continuing to help me claim my writerhood. I feel more like a writer than ever, in no small part thanks to this community.

To that end, I wanted to share an update directly with you. A few months ago, an editor at The Washington Post read my essay, “My Commitment,” and reached out saying she enjoyed my writing and found the topic of the piece, the experience of receiving my mama’s latest results while going about my day to day life, particularly poignant. She asked if I would pitch a piece to The Washington Post on a similar topic.

And so I did. This past weekend, my first piece in the Washington Post, “When facing a cancer prognosis, sometimes information isn’t power,” was published and featured as a perspective essay in their special cancer addition.

Since its publication, I have received an outpouring of love and support from friends and strangers alike. The response continues to be breathtaking.

In particular, it has been profoundly moving to hear the stories others have shared about their own experiences navigating cancer diagnoses. I’ve heard from those who are currently awaiting test results, those with their own special routine for opening their latest test results, and those who find the immediacy with which they can view their results a deep comfort. I’ve heard from those who love someone with cancer and those who have cancer themselves. I have heard from long time survivors and patients on hospice. I have been swelled up with emotion and love and the critical reminder that while this journey can be isolation, we are never really alone.

This is the reason I write.

Thank you all for supporting me as I continue to do so.

With love and so much gratitude,

Jessie

You can read “When facing a cancer prognosis, sometimes information isn’t power” here.