Posts by author
Knarik Arakelyan
“Go Be Normal”: The Childhood Cancer Survivor Who Built What Her Family Never Had
When Brett Wilson finished cancer treatment at the age of 12, a hospital nurse walked outside with her and her mother and offered three words of advice: “Go be normal.” Wilson looked at her mother. “What does that mean? Go…
CancerWorld #119 (September 2026)
The history of pediatric oncology is one of extraordinary progress. Children who once had little chance of surviving cancer are now growing into adulthood, building careers, raising families and imagining futures that previous generations could not. But progress has also…
CancerWorld | PICI– Special Issue 2026
10 Years of PICI: From Discovery to Impact Ten years ago, the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) was created around a bold premise: that progress in cancer research could be accelerated by changing not only what science pursued, but…
The Cost of Silence Has Been Death
After surviving cervical cancer at 25, Tamika Felder transformed personal tragedy into a global movement. In this CancerWorld interview, she reflects on fear, stigma, infertility, survivorship, advocacy, and why the world already has everything it needs to eliminate one of…
Sixteen Years Clear, Then it Came Back: A Husband’s Reckoning with Cancer, Faith, and the Ordinary Courage of Carrying On
For sixteen years, cancer became something we spoke about in the past tense. My wife, Lynn, had survived a rare smooth-muscle cancer (leiomyosarcoma) after two operations in 2009. Year after year the scans came back clear. Gradually, we stopped living…
In Memoriam: Dr Mary Buchanan (1929–2026)
The European cancer community has lost one of its most influential voices for breast cancer advocacy. Dr. Mary Buchanan—physician, advocate, and one of the founding figures of Europa Donna – The European Breast Cancer Coalition—passed away on 18 June 2026.…
Finding Her Voice: How One Little Girl’s Loss Became a Lifelong Lesson in Listening
When Martha Raymond, the Founder and CEO of the GI Cancers Alliance and the Raymond Foundation, was seven years old, she lost her father to colon cancer. Years later, her mother's illness would change the course of her own life.…
CancerWorld #118 (August 2026)
We often describe progress in oncology through the language of discovery. Scientific breakthroughs. Technological innovation. Deeper biological insight. These advances have transformed medicine, helping millions of people live longer and better than ever before. Yet alongside every scientific breakthrough, a…
Finding a Voice Beyond Cancer: How Karen Nakawala transformed a cervical cancer diagnosis into a movement for survivor leadership and better cancer care
Karen Nakawala spent decades telling other people's stories. As one of Zambia's well-known broadcasters, she knew how to command a microphone, connect with audiences and give voice to people whose experiences might otherwise go unheard. Whether presenting a live radio…
From Treating Children to Shaping Global Cancer Policy: Dr Tezer Kutluk on Leadership, Equity, and the Future of Oncology
Over four decades, Dr Tezer Kutluk, Scientific Director of Medicana Health group and Chair of the Department of Pediatric Oncology at Medicana Hospitals, Turkey, has witnessed the transformation of cancer care—from the early days of pediatric oncology to the era…