11 Cancer Substacks You Should Subscribe To
Click, subscribe, repeat
During my own breast cancer treatment, it didn’t occur to me to turn to Substack for support. Now that I’m in recovery, I’m grateful to have discovered so many smart, talented writers sharing their own cancer experiences, along with doctors who are helping patients understand and navigate their care.
These aren’t all Substack bestsellers with thousands of subscribers. Rather, they’re writers who have opened my eyes and helped me understand my own cancer experience more clearly.
I started following Corinne Menn on Instagram soon after I was diagnosed. A breast cancer survivor herself, her Substack is a treasure trove of clear, practical advice on navigating menopause, including after breast cancer. Women are too often left to manage their menopause symptoms alone once treatment ends, but Menn makes me feel seen and better informed.
Start Here:
Wajeeha Nadeem: Enchanted Letters
Any time I read Wajeeha Nadeem’s posts, I find myself nodding along. We were both diagnosed with breast cancer around the same age (she was 38, I was 40), and her writing captures something I’ve struggled to articulate myself: what it’s like to have a new identity handed to you without your consent.
Start Here:
I don’t know how he does it, but Daniel Flora somehow manages a successful Substack while also working as a medical director of oncology research in Cincinnati. He’s worth following for his Substack notes alone—thoughtful and smart, with zero fear-mongering. It’s clear he genuinely cares about demystifying the complex world of cancer research and treatment.
Start Here:
Emma Vivian: Attempts at Optimism
Emma Vivian writes about rebuilding her sense of self after her breast cancer diagnosis at 29. “I had made the mistake of imagining the trauma to be entirely physical,” she writes. Her work captures how cancer—especially when you’re young—permanently alters how you see your body and the world.
Start Here:
With more than 25 years of experience as an oncologist, Tiffany Troso-Sandoval’s Substack is jam-packed with practical, patient-forward guidance. Her writing has helped me understand not just my treatment, but the system around it, and how to push back when something doesn’t sit right.
Start Here:
Katie Colpaert: Presence and Pilgrimage
I’ve teared up more than once reading Katie Colpaert’s writing. She often writes in fragments—poems, notes—about her recent Stage 4 cancer diagnosis. Her work captures the pain and strangeness of facing one’s own mortality when you still have so much life ahead of you.
Start Here:
I’ve come to look forward to Hannah Brown’s daily notes popping up on my feed. Her tagline, “F*ck Cancer,” always makes me smile. Diagnosed with endometrial cancer at 32 while trying to have a baby, she writes about all that cancer takes away, but she doesn’t linger there for long. Her posts are honest and hopeful.
Start Here:
Rebecca Herring (“Becks”) writes about living in the liminal space of a terminal illness. Her writing is both raw and meditative. Here’s a taste: “In a world that makes sense, I wouldn’t be offered hospice before the age of 50. I wouldn’t be offered hospice decades before my husband can retire. I wouldn’t be offered hospice before my children have graduated from college. I wouldn’t be offered hospice before I have buried my parents. This is all backwards. This is all cattywampus. None of this makes sense!”
Start Here:
Suleika Jouad: The Isolation Journals
Probably the most well-known writer on this list, Suleika Jouad is a bestselling author and three-time cancer survivor (and wife of prodigiously talented singer Jon Batiste). I found her memoir Between Two Kingdoms when I was in cancer treatment. Reading it was both a harrowing and comforting experience (her chemo journey was prolonged and intense). She writes like a poet about cancer, art, and survival, and I especially enjoy her weekly journal prompts.
Start here:
Not a cancer Substack per se, but so much of Amy Killen’s writing is relevant to breast cancer survivors. I recently had my ovaries removed for prevention, and her post “When Your Ovaries Leave the Building” was illuminating. I assumed I’d simply entered menopause early. Instead, she helped me understand that surgical hormone loss can be more abrupt and profound than natural menopause (bummer for me). Her writing is casual and zippy, a nice change from dry, jargon-heavy medical advice.
Start Here:
Nancy Stordhal has been writing about her breast cancer experience for over a decade, first on her blog and now on Substack. She pushes back on tired cancer tropes like “stay strong” and “you’re so brave.” This line hit me: “Cancer is a horrible disease, not an enlightenment program.” She emphasizes connection and conversation—she wants to hear from her readers and learn their stories.
Start Here:
And here are 4 new-to-me Substacks in the cancer community. Comment yours below!
As always, thank you for reading. I’m so grateful. If you can’t become a paid subscriber, feel free to like this post to show your support (it helps!).
Beautiful list. I love many of these writers and look forward to getting to know the others. I,too, write about my 5+ year walk with cancer-and other hard things- on my Substack, Walk With Me. ❤️
Great list. I already discovered several of these but there’s a few on here I’ll have to look up. I’ve been writing about my cancer journey since it took over my Substack in June 2024. 15 months of treatment for triple negative breast cancer.