Suleika’s dreams of becoming a war correspondent were cut short by a devastating diagnosis. Instead, she decided to report from the front lines of her hospital bed. “Life, Interrupted” is an Emmy Award-winning 40-part series chronicling her experiences as a young adult with cancer.
Life, Interrupted Excerpts
Life, Interrupted: The 100 Day Project
My friends and family suggested we start something called “The 100 Day Project.” I can’t remember who came up with it first, but the idea was that each of us would do something creative once a day, every day, for 100 days.
Originally published October, 2015 in the New York Times
Life, Interrupted: Facing Cancer in Your 20s
After my diagnosis of cancer, I moved back into my childhood bedroom so my parents could take care of me. At the same time, I’ve had no choice but to grow up fast.
Originally published March 29, 2012 in the New York Times
Life, Interrupted: By a Dog
Ever since a therapy dog visited me in the hospital during my first cycle of chemotherapy in May 2011, I became fixated on the idea of having a dog of my own one day.
Originally published December 23, 2013 in the New York Times
Life, Interrupted: The Beat Goes On
Oncology wards, more than anywhere else I know, are musicless places. But on one special day, my friends in the Stay Human Band brought music to my hospital room.
Originally published May 24, 2012 in the New York Times
Life, Interrupted: Lost in Transition
“You are being deported,” a surgeon announced to me last fall. That’s a scary thing for a child of two immigrants to hear. After three and a half years of cancer treatment, my doctors had finally pronounced me in remission. I had thought I’d want to celebrate or dance a jig in my hospital gown or throw a rager when I got there. But it didn’t feel anything like the endgame I had imagined.
Originally published March 16, 2015 in the New York Times
Life, Interrupted Videos
Facing Cancer in Your 20s
"After my diagnosis of cancer at age 22, I moved back into my childhood bedroom so my parents could take care of me. At the same time, I’ve had no choice but to grow up fast."
A Family Gets Cancer
"I've learned that it's not just the patient that gets cancer, but the entire family. My illness and my brother's role as my bone marrow donor has taken an emotional toll on our close-knit family."
The Social Network
"Cancer can catch even the best of us off guard. Sometimes the emotions come pouring out. Sometimes they stay locked inside. Either way, cancer can be awkward."
A Guarded Optimism
"A hundred days after my bone marrow transplant, I celebrate a big milestone in my fight against leukemia."
Going Public With Cancer
"Cancer is not something that makes you want to share. It's something that makes you want to hide."
