I've got the upper hand: The Cure and treatment for cancer

Michelle Grant-Epstein is a 52-year-old mother of three in Framingham, Massachusetts. Advanced colon cancer, diagnosed in 2005, had spread to an ovary, requiring extensive surgery and chemotherapy. Here's her story:

When I was first diagnosed, the doctors said my disease was treatable, but we just don't have a cure now. It was hard to hear.

I'm co-habiting with my cancer, and as long as I've got the upper hand, that’s OK. I'm a fully functional adult [exercising at home, spending time with family and friends, and working part-time at a local library].

Do I wish for a cure? Absolutely! But I know that it's complicated and each cancer is different. For now, I'm grateful for the drugs that are controlling my cancer, and I hope they're still working.

Advice: Live as fully as you can every day.

Read a thoughtful journalist's story about his life after prostate cancer.

Thanks to Michelle, whose story appeared in the Fall/Winter 2008 issue of Dana-Farber’s newsletter, Paths of Progress. This is an excerpt from the article about Michelle and two other cancer survivors who are patients of Dr. Robert Mayer.