Are you letting
yourself grieve
what's been lost?
Cancer takes things even when it doesn't take your life: plans, a former self, certainty, sometimes people. This isn't about being sick enough to qualify for grief — it's about whether you let yourself feel it.
Inspired by the memoir Stupid Cancer. This is a personal-reflection tool, not a grief diagnosis or a substitute for professional support — a grief counsellor, chaplain or palliative care social worker is worth more than a score. If grief ever feels unmanageable, please reach out to a mental health professional.
Are you letting yourself grieve what's been lost?
Answer every statement based on how you actually process loss, not how you think you're supposed to.
Ready to see your grief profile?
Answer all 30 questions to unlock your results.
How directly you name and feel losses, including the loss of your former self, rather than minimizing them.
How actively you process grief: anticipatory fear, oscillation, meaning-making, and reaching out for support.