--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was diagnosed with cancer at age…" description: "\"When I was diagnosed with cancer at age 22, I learned just how much cancer affects families when it affects individuals.\" — Suleika Jaouad" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/suleika-jaouad-6310_age_when-i-was-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-age_3177784.jpg" --- # When I was diagnosed with cancer at age 22, I learned just… ![“When I was diagnosed with cancer at age 22, I learned just how much cancer affects families when it affects individuals.” quote by Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/suleika-jaouad-6310_age_when-i-was-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-age_3177784.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/suleika-jaouad-6310_age_when-i-was-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-age_3177784.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/suleika-jaouad-6310_age_when-i-was-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-age_3177784.jpg) > “When I was diagnosed with cancer at age 22, I learned just how much cancer affects families when it affects individuals.” [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. Cancer’s impact spreads beyond the patient to families, highlighting collective struggle. **In simple terms:** Cancer affects families too. Key Takeaway Support loved ones and seek community help. Themes illness family resilience empathy Mood reflective empathetic serious Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - family gatherings - hospital visits - support groups - financial planning Key Concepts psychological impact caregiver burden Questions to Reflect On - How can families maintain cohesion? - What resources aid shared coping? A Different Perspective Family dynamics can become strained under stress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) [Cancer Affects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer-affects-2075066/) [Cancer Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer-age-954206/) [Diagnosed Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diagnosed-cancer-295859/) [Families](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/families/) [Families Affects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/families-affects-3115825/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how/) [Just Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-cancer-731098/) [Much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/much/) ## Related quotes > [“We have seen that the individual’s brain circuits are decisively influenced by the emotional states of the parents, in the context of the multigenerational…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/we-have-seen-that-the-individual-s-brain-circuits-are-decisively/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [I worked 22 years in the industry, and I noticed that operating systems get cancer with age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-louis-gassee/i-worked-22-years-in-the-industry-and-i-noticed-that-operating/) [Jean-Louis Gassee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-louis-gassee/) > [Probably the most important reason we are seeing more cancers than before is because the population is ageing overall. And cancer is an age-related…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/probably-the-most-important-reason-we-are-seeing-more-cancers-than/) [Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/) > [If someone has cancer, it's not just them who has cancer - it's everyone around them as well and it's tough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-strauss/if-someone-has-cancer-it-s-not-just-them-who-has-cancer-it-s-everyone/) [Andrew Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-strauss/) > [Dear Cancer, I wish you would just get cancer and die. God bless to all those who've been affected and/or fighting cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dear-cancer-i-wish-you-would-just-get-cancer-and-die-god-bless-to-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I just take it day by day, and I hope one day I can say I feel good - not just be cancer free,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-kelly/i-just-take-it-day-by-day-and-i-hope-one-day-i-can-say-i-feel-good/) [Jim Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-kelly/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/getting-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-22-really-magnified-the-in/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [Cancer affects so many people, and even if it hasn't affected someone in your family then you know someone who has had it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mollie-king/cancer-affects-so-many-people-and-even-if-it-hasn-t-affected-someone/) [Mollie King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mollie-king/) > [When cancer affects somebody in the family, the whole family is affected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-grammer/when-cancer-affects-somebody-in-the-family-the-whole-family-is/) [Camille Grammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-grammer/) > [Cancer affects everyone, and it's up to all of us to support the important research that can one day make a much sought-after cure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-harmon/cancer-affects-everyone-and-it-s-up-to-all-of-us-to-support-the/) [Angie Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-harmon/) > [Throughout the world, cancer affects the rich and poor, especially where cigarette smoking is rampant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cuomo/throughout-the-world-cancer-affects-the-rich-and-poor-especially/) [Margaret Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cuomo/) > [Cancer affects all of us, whether you're a daughter, mother, sister, friend, coworker, doctor, patient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-aniston/cancer-affects-all-of-us-whether-you-re-a-daughter-mother-sister/) [Jennifer Aniston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-aniston/) > [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 Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was diagnosed with cancer at age 22, I learned just how much cancer affects families when it affects individuals.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Suleika Jaouad" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/when-i-was-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-age-22-i-learned-just-how-much/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/when-i-was-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-age-22-i-learned-just-how-much/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/suleika-jaouad-6310_age_when-i-was-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-age_3177784.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/suleika-jaouad-6310_age_when-i-was-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-age_3177784.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/suleika-jaouad-6310_age_when-i-was-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-age_3177784.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was diagnosed with cancer at age 22, I learned just how much cancer affects families when it affects…” — 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": "When I was diagnosed with cancer...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/when-i-was-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-age-22-i-learned-just-how-much/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/when-i-was-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-age-22-i-learned-just-how-much/#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 } } ] } ```