--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Getting diagnosed with cancer at 22…" description: "\"Getting diagnosed with cancer at 22 really magnified the in-betweenness that I felt. All of my friends were starting careers and going to parties and d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/006/suleika-jaouad-6310_cancer_getting-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-22-real_2445178.jpg" --- # Getting diagnosed with cancer at 22 really magnified the… ![“Getting diagnosed with cancer at 22 really magnified the in-betweenness that I felt. All of my friends were starting careers and going to parties and dating, and I was stuck - literally - in this one hospital bed for weeks on end.” quote by Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/006/suleika-jaouad-6310_cancer_getting-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-22-real_2445178.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/006/suleika-jaouad-6310_cancer_getting-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-22-real_2445178.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/006/suleika-jaouad-6310_cancer_getting-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-22-real_2445178.jpg) > “Getting diagnosed with cancer at 22 really magnified the in-betweenness that I felt. All of my friends were starting careers and going to parties and dating, and I was stuck - literally - in this one hospital bed for weeks on end.” [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The diagnosis intensified a sense of being out of sync with peers, highlighting isolation while confronting mortality. **In simple terms:** Cancer made me feel out of step with friends. Key Takeaway Embrace vulnerability and seek connection despite illness. Themes isolation growth resilience Mood reflective hopeful Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - hospital stay - career planning - social gatherings - mental health support Key Concepts existential angst identity formation health crisis Questions to Reflect On - How can you maintain relationships during prolonged illness? - What rituals help bridge the gap between illness and normal life? A Different Perspective Isolation can deepen depression if not addressed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [22 Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/22-really-522171/) [Betweenness Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betweenness-felt-522172/) [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) [Cancer 22](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer-22-522169/) [Dating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dating/) [Diagnosed Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diagnosed-cancer-295859/) [End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end/) [Felt Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-friends-522170/) [Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Hospital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hospital/) [Stuck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuck/) ## Related quotes > [“When I was younger, I craved friendship and closeness. I make bonds without acknowledging how quickly and permanently they would break. I took people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/when-i-was-younger-i-craved-friendship-and-closeness-i-make-bonds/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [When I found out I was pregnant, I was 22. It was really scary because I was working the music thing, and with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-bowersox/when-i-found-out-i-was-pregnant-i-was-22-it-was-really-scary-because/) [Crystal Bowersox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-bowersox/) > [The music business is very hard on women over 22. You really have to prove yourself every time you make a record. Are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jody-watley/the-music-business-is-very-hard-on-women-over-22-you-really-have-to/) [Jody Watley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jody-watley/) > [When I was diagnosed with cancer at age 22, I learned just how much cancer affects families when it affects individuals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/when-i-was-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-age-22-i-learned-just-how-much/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [For the better half of my early 20s, I was Bubble Girl. When I found out I had leukemia at 22 my world suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/for-the-better-half-of-my-early-20s-i-was-bubble-girl-when-i-found/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [Ever since a therapy dog visited me in the hospital during my first cycle of chemotherapy in May 2011, I became fixated on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/ever-since-a-therapy-dog-visited-me-in-the-hospital-during-my-first/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [When I was first in the hospital, some of my visitors seemed so intent on not upsetting me that they avoided the topic of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/when-i-was-first-in-the-hospital-some-of-my-visitors-seemed-so-intent/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [I'd like to prove to other people that it's not the end of everything to be diagnosed with cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-d-like-to-prove-to-other-people-that-it-s-not-the-end-of-everything/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [My dad spent most of my childhood behind bars. He went to jail 17 or 18 times. It was only when he was diagnosed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-walters/my-dad-spent-most-of-my-childhood-behind-bars-he-went-to-jail-17-or/) [Ashley Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-walters/) > [If someone you know is diagnosed with cancer, give them a call or send them a letter to tell them how sorry you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/if-someone-you-know-is-diagnosed-with-cancer-give-them-a-call-or-send/) [Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) > [Being diagnosed with cancer helped me identify all that was wrong in my life. It also helped me search for the solutions. I discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manisha-koirala/being-diagnosed-with-cancer-helped-me-identify-all-that-was-wrong-in/) [Manisha Koirala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manisha-koirala/) > [I think obviously when you're first diagnosed with cancer you definitely panic and that your mind races and thinks the worst but I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-boorman/i-think-obviously-when-you-re-first-diagnosed-with-cancer-you/) [Charley Boorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-boorman/) > [When my sister was diagnosed with cancer in 1989, her doctor told her that the cancer had probably been in her system for 10…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/when-my-sister-was-diagnosed-with-cancer-in-1989-her-doctor-told-her/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Being diagnosed with cancer really opened my eyes to the fact anyone can have it and that even though we think we have control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-crow/being-diagnosed-with-cancer-really-opened-my-eyes-to-the-fact-anyone/) [Sheryl Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-crow/) > [Well even before she was diagnosed with the cancer, I would have said that she was a lot tougher than me and most guys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-favre/well-even-before-she-was-diagnosed-with-the-cancer-i-would-have-said/) [Brett Favre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-favre/) ## More by Suleika Jaouad > [With a Catholic mother and a Muslim father, I've always had a great interest in religion, but I've never practiced one myself. After I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/with-a-catholic-mother-and-a-muslim-father-i-ve-always-had-a-great/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [It felt like 10 years, but I was actually in treatment for three-and-a-half years. I finally finished in April. Two years ago, I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/it-felt-like-10-years-but-i-was-actually-in-treatment-for-three-and-a/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [There are days when I even long for the paralegal job that once upon a time made me so miserable. It wasn't the perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/there-are-days-when-i-even-long-for-the-paralegal-job-that-once-upon/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [When I finally returned home after my five-week hospitalization, I could feel the stares of strangers on my bald head and thinning eyebrows. Everywhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/when-i-finally-returned-home-after-my-five-week-hospitalization-i/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [The bone marrow transplant procedure itself can be dangerous, but it is swift, which makes it feel strangely anti-climactic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/the-bone-marrow-transplant-procedure-itself-can-be-dangerous-but-it/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [Even amid the shock of my diagnosis, I held onto the hope that I'd be able to make the most of my down time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/even-amid-the-shock-of-my-diagnosis-i-held-onto-the-hope-that-i-d-be/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [I'll never go so far to call cancer a gift. It's a really terrible disease. It's taken the lives of so many of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/i-ll-never-go-so-far-to-call-cancer-a-gift-it-s-a-really-terrible/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [I think often when we talk about things like cancer, the kind of final act at the end of the story comes with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/i-think-often-when-we-talk-about-things-like-cancer-the-kind-of-final/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [Before my diagnosis with leukemia, two years ago at the age of 22, I'd always excelled at making resolutions. But I was never as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/before-my-diagnosis-with-leukemia-two-years-ago-at-the-age-of-22-i-d/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [Like a lot of other young people, I never thought about health insurance until I got sick. I was 22, and my adult life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/like-a-lot-of-other-young-people-i-never-thought-about-health/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [And there came a point in my treatment where I couldn't see that end in sight. And that was the most challenging, I think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/and-there-came-a-point-in-my-treatment-where-i-couldn-t-see-that-end/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [But no conversation between doctor and patient can magically turn an uninsured patient into an insured one. Doctors are just as helpless as patients…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/but-no-conversation-between-doctor-and-patient-can-magically-turn-an/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [Cancer magnifies the in-betweenness of young adulthood: You're not a child anymore, yet you're not fully ready to live in the adult world, either.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/cancer-magnifies-the-in-betweenness-of-young-adulthood-you-re-not-a/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [I get along well with my medical team and I have a tremendous amount of respect for them. But the idea of discussing my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/i-get-along-well-with-my-medical-team-and-i-have-a-tremendous-amount/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [For the better half of my early 20s, I was Bubble Girl. When I found out I had leukemia at 22 my world suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/for-the-better-half-of-my-early-20s-i-was-bubble-girl-when-i-found/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) [Explore all 99 Suleika Jaouad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) ## More Cancer quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/) [Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [Historically, more people have died of religion than cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-francis/historically-more-people-have-died-of-religion-than-cancer/) [Dick Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-francis/) > [“Our kind of love can go into remission, but it's always waiting to return. Like the world sweetest cancer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/our-kind-of-love-can-go-into-remission-but-it-s-always-waiting-to/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [Bollywood is a cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-banerjee/bollywood-is-a-cancer/) [Victor Banerjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-banerjee/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [When people go get chemo, they're not injecting themselves with will - I have lost various loved ones to cancer, and I certainly don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/when-people-go-get-chemo-they-re-not-injecting-themselves-with-will-i/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [“the doctor hesitated before breaking the news to her. "those aren't stars. it's cancer." - forty years a smoker”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-lovelace/the-doctor-hesitated-before-breaking-the-news-to-her-those-aren-t/) [Amanda Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-lovelace/) > [I loved you to the moon and back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-loved-you-to-the-moon-and-back/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) [Richard Doll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-doll/) > [I would do away with super PACs. I think it's a cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-conrad/i-would-do-away-with-super-pacs-i-think-it-s-a-cancer/) [Kent Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-conrad/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [If you are a white male, you don't deserve to live. You are a cancer, you're a disease, white males have never contributed anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-ignatiev/if-you-are-a-white-male-you-don-t-deserve-to-live-you-are-a-cancer/) [Noel Ignatiev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-ignatiev/) > [The way I look at it is, cancer research is absolutely nonpartisan. Cancer is very democratic in the sense that it attacks people regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-koch/the-way-i-look-at-it-is-cancer-research-is-absolutely-nonpartisan/) [David H. Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) [Browse all 3,177 Cancer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Getting diagnosed with cancer at 22 really magnified the in-betweenness that I felt. All of my friends were starting careers and going to parties and dating, and I was stuck - literally - in this one hospital bed for weeks on end.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Suleika Jaouad" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/getting-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-22-really-magnified-the-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cancer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/getting-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-22-really-magnified-the-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/006/suleika-jaouad-6310_cancer_getting-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-22-real_2445178.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/006/suleika-jaouad-6310_cancer_getting-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-22-real_2445178.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/006/suleika-jaouad-6310_cancer_getting-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-22-real_2445178.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Getting diagnosed with cancer at 22 really magnified the in-betweenness that I felt. All of my friends were…” — Suleika Jaouad", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Suleika Jaouad", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Getting diagnosed with cancer at 22...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/getting-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-22-really-magnified-the-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/getting-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-22-really-magnified-the-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```