# Debra Jarvis: Yes, I survived cancer. But that doesn't define me

Debra Jarvis had worked as a hospital chaplain for nearly 30 years when she was diagnosed with cancer. And she learned quite a bit as a patient. In a witty, daring talk, she explains how the identity of “cancer survivor” can feel static. She asks us all to claim our hardest experiences, while giving ourselves room to grow and evolve.

- Kind: Talk
- Year: 2014
- Runtime: 16 min
- By: TED.com
- Genres: Education
- Archive: [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/DebraJarvis_2014P)
- Licence or status: [CC BY-NC-ND 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/) (as the archive states it)
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/ia/DebraJarvis_2014P?play=1)