Muska, you have articulated something that has bugged me all along regarding cancer nomenclature--perhaps because my lifelong occupation has been tied into the use of the English language.

I never use the term myself, and correct anyone who applies it to me for the very reasons you give. I just politely say that I had a cancerous tumor removed and the surrounding area treated with radiation and that I am no more a "survivor" of breast cancer than I would be a "survivor" of appendicitis if an infected ruptured appendix had been removed and the adjacent area treated with antibiotics to eliminate any residual infection.

While those with stage IV endure much and undergo some very unpleasant treatments (and I admire their fortitude and desire to overcome the cancer), the fact remains that not one of us will survive life in the long (or short) run. A friend of mine (whose wife died of stage IV mets just 10 months ago) understood this fact of life and living, and he always maintained (and still maintains), "The single biggest risk factor for dying is being born!" So I,like you, prefer to use the term to say that eight passengers did not survive the recent horrible Amtrak derailment but that more than a hundred did survive it, albeit many suffered grave injuries, and that no one on board survived the apparently deliberate airplane crash.into the French Alps two months ago. .

I miraculously survived a lot of stupid teenage decisions. I survived a nasty divorce from a man who truly wanted to do me harm. I survived chemo and multiple surgeries, but I have no way of knowing if I will survive cancer or if it will ultimately take me out, so yes, I have trouble with the "survivor" label. 

When describing individuals with disabilities we are taught that it is correct to put the person first, the condition second, because they are people who have a condition. The condition doesn't define who they are.  For example "He is a man with autism" not "He is an autistic man". I think the same logic could apply here. I am a woman in treatment for BC or a woman who has completed treatment. 

I also get tired of being asked if they "got all the cancer" because as we all know, only time will tell. I ran into an old acquaintance at a child's birthday party today and with genuine care and concern he did ask that question. I gave my standard "I hope so" which is of course the answer he wanted to hear. I later wondered what would his reaction have been if I were stage IV and said "no, they found cancer in various parts of my body." Talk about an awkward moment. Some questions just shouldn't be asked.

Count me in. I don't like it. Each day that any of us wakes up we are survivors. So stupid.

If we are above ground we are still surviving! Anyone who comes through any medical condition - or lives with one - is surviving. It is nonsense for those who have had BC to think of themselves as being different from others - we have just had or maybe still have an unpleasant disease. That's all there is to it.

When I have to say something, I say "I was diagnosed with and treated for BC in 2007" and when they say, "Oh, you are a survivor" or "But you are okay now"; I say "So far, so good" and knock on the nearest piece of wood.

I am 4.5 years post diagnosis but I still consider myself to be a 'patient' as I feel I will always be under surveillance.

While I don't feel like a survivor just six months after finishing my chemo, cut and burn treatment, I certainly don't feel like a dead person walking.

Most survival stats are based on people still alive after five years, so I'll likely consider myself a survivor when I reach this milestone.

I don't like the term either, especially since anyone who is still above ground can call themselves a survivor. I am a warrior, I battle this thing called cancer, and I will win this battle. surviving is not what I plan to do I plan win and live, I don't want to just survive it.

I did survive a disease 12 years ago that I wasn't expected to survive. So I guess in the true definition of the word, I am a survivor.
However, if I had to pick a label for myself, I think it would be an endurer. I've endured everything that has been thrown at me so far.

People can call me whatever they want as long as I'm still kicking!!

I post this same Shakespearean quote on every thread that is about this subject of labeling us:

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet..." (or maybe, in this case, as rotten.)

I got my Dx, did the treatment. It seems like it is gone now and I hope it stays that way. I could care less what it is CALLED.

I fully understand all the pro and con points made about these various labels and I just don't think there is going to be one descriptive label that everyone out there likes. So, whaddya gonna do?

I never really know what to say - a survivor? I always say I recovered BC .. but its not really recovered, is it? I mean, I know I am cancer -free now and its been 3 yrs.. but I am still under treatment by taking that little pill and seeing doctors every 6 months  ..all in all I realize we are just talking about terminology but what is the correct terms - recovering, recovered, survivor, dealt with ???

I hate it and don't think it's appropriate. None of us really know if we are survivors or not - I think it's a stupid title, for me anyway.

Oh my goodness, Muska, I can totally relate!!!

I still remember the first time that--after telling an old friend that I'd had cancer a few years ago and shared with her my particular situation--she'd shrieked "Oh! So you're a SURVIVOR!!!!!".

I was shocked by that proclamation, and I thought to myself "Ummmm, not really...as far as I'm concerned, dealing with a cancer that was never life-threatening to begin with is not the same as facing a situation where I was in danger of losing my life to cancer...THEN I would be comfortable with being called a survivor".

So while I knew her intentions were good, I didn't think I had the "right" to be considered a survivor, if that makes sense.

Lefty, you took the words right out of my mouth. Well put!