Kate Hervey's Cancer Journey
- Kate Hervey was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that tends to form near large joints in young adults.
- Hervey, 20, feels lucky to have gone through her cancer journey during the pandemic because she was able to take her classes online, just like her classmates.
- She found a community through TikTok and credits her followers with helping her get through the tough times.
Cancer Diagnosis During COVID-19
Being diagnosed with cancer as a young person during the COVID-19 pandemic has its ups and downs. Hervey, a nursing student at Michigan State, was fortunate because her university had just transitioned from in-person to virtual learning.
Read MoreFinding Connections on TikTok
While Hervey, who is in a sorority, is used to being around her friends, she had to scale back on her social activities because she was now considered to be a high-risk patient. That’s when she turned to TikTok as an outlet, sharing her cancer journey and building a community of her own. She has nearly 40,000 followers on TikTok now.“One thing that was nice about TikTok that I loved and why I started posting more and more videos is how many people I was able to meet through TikTok and social media that are going through the same things,” she says. Social media allows her to stay in touch with other young people going through their own cancer journeys. “I still text with this one girl who is 22. If I’m having a hard time, I will text her because she will understand. As much as my family and friends are supportive, it’s hard to vent to someone who doesn’t know what it’s really like,” she says.
Hervey, now 20, is cancer-free. She says she could not have done it without the love and support of her TikTok followers. “I feel like I’ve made an impact on other people and they have made an impact on me through TikTok, which is crazy to say. I can help people go through what I’ve been going through as well.” She has graciously agreed to allow us to use her content in order to help our community.
Hervey says her cancer journey is going to prepare her to become a better nurse. “I made the right choice with my major. I see the patient aspect of things. It’s going to help me be more empathetic with my patients,” she says.
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