Emily Helck is a writer and artist who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 28 over a decade ago. Emily was one of the very first writers published in Wildfire Magazine. She wrote “Heat Lightning” in the first “Love In the Time of Cancer” issue in 2016. This essay is also included in our anthology, "Igniting the Fire Within." April and Emily will discuss what it’s like revisiting this essay many years later, how cancer might not be the last difficult thing that could happen in life, what survivorship and advocacy can look like in the past vs. the present, and thoughts on approaching death and loss. They will also talk about the privilege of choosing to share your cancer story or not with new people years later. Emily will also share about her recently opened independent bookstore, The Lost Bookshop.
