Cancer

This is a scary word, and an even scarier experience. I came face-to-face with it in February 2026 when I learned that the back pain I was experiencing was actually a metastatic tumour eating away at my vertebrae. My life changed irreversibly in that moment of diagnosis, and the following months brought unimaginable challenges for myself and my family, as we battled through the reality of the experience and treatment.

But there was a positive aspect of this overall horrible experience - I was finally recognized as having a verfied illness that people responded to. Cancer is so prevelant that there are socially acceptable responses to the news, symptoms, and overall experience. Everytime I attended an appointment at the cancer centre I felt accepted and part of the social experience of everyone in the building, and experience I had only had with a few people who also suffer from invisible disabilities, and never from the general public. No one at work or in my social circle questioned why I was not feeling up to being social, or able to work.

My pain was finally taken seriously, my nausea and tiredness treated as expected, and no further explanation needed. I felt understood and taken care of by the health care system.

As I complete my chemotherapy treatments and face the future of living with a non-small cell lung cancer, I am considering how my experience with an invisible disability will change. I predict that people will be anxious about my health for a few months and then consideration for how I am feeling will dissipate. Meanwhile, I will still be dealing with the physical symptoms such as exhaustion and hair loss, trying to appear as "normal" as possible to put people at ease.

Overall, this experience with cancer has demonstrated to me how important it is to continue to fight for recognition of invisible disabilities and how they impact our daily lives, as my migraines are no less potent in impacting my daily life than chemotherapy has been. While cancer is still terrible, and my heart goes out to anyone who has been impacted by cancer, suffering with severe migraines, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, anxiety, depression or any other invisible disability is just as impactful and should be recognized as such. We need to continue to fight for recognition and necessary allowances to help make our lives as broad and supported as possible.