Social and emotional development for the six-year-old me was also a struggle. Erik
Erikson’s theory on development says that children between ages five and twelve are going
through the “Industry vs. Inferiority" stage of social development. As children begin to measure
themselves against their peers, the desire to belong to a group increases. Most children attend
school, where they can develop the skills needed to form relationships, as well as academic
skills. Cancer treatments prevented me from attending a public school, and when I did return to
school, I remember feeling very anxious and self-conscious. These are social and emotional
struggles that I still deal with on a regular basis. “The two main psychosocial challenges for
adolescents with cancer are the desire to continue to develop an identity apart from cancer and to
be viewed as an independent individual with agency” (
Barlow & Ellard, 2006
;
Morgan et al.,
2010
).
Physical development at age 6 was uneventful. As far as I am aware, I have developed
normally. Besides some large scars, there have been no lingering effects from my cancer
treatments as a child. My physical development was only impacted in that I was never able to
play contact sports, due to the nephrectomy I had when I was six. I had to be especially
protective of my one and only kidney. While there is no way to prove for sure, I believe that the
radiation therapy that I received over my chest as a child impacted the growth of my breasts.
Whether this is due to genetics or environmental factors will remain a mystery. This is something
that has impacted my ability to feel physical confidence throughout my adult life.
The sixteen-year-old me was also struggling, but for a different reason. Perfectionism,
depression, and anxiety were things that I was feeling, but could not identify. Adolescents move
