Recurrence of cancer: a crisis of courage

Although much is written about biomedical progress in the treatment of cancer, less attention is paid to personal struggles for self-affirmation when faced with the reality of recurrence. Through the use of the narrative as a technique for disclosing embedded meaning in the world of ordinary events, courage emerges as the distinguishing phenomenon of self-affirming potential. Three accounts of actual persons living the crisis of recurrence illustrate opportunities for professional caregivers to find enrichment through their encounters in practice.