"Alexa & Katie" is a Netflix show about a girl with Leukemia and her life after cancer. This Netflix original series took place after the completion of her treatment. She is in remission, where she is being confronted with her new life on navigating towards her new kind of normal. This entails the challenges she faces at school as well as the social and physical aspects of life. She has an amazing support system, in particular from her best friend and family. Funny enough, I was watching this during my chemo treatments as a way to give me hope that there is a future and a life after treatment...and we could all use a little hope in our lives.
I personally find this show quite refreshing in comparison to other cancer themed movies. It honestly gets annoying that 90% of the hollywood movies involving someone with cancer dies. I mean yes, cancer is and has always been a life threatening disease. And yes, people can still die from it but I am seriously sick and tired of cancer being portrayed as an automatic death sentence. Please don't get me wrong and I do not want to undermine the reality of cancer and its struggles that come hand in hand, but I feel like this is a false representation of the progress and advancement that the medical field has made in the last 20 years. I despise how movies portray that cancer is a lost cause no matter which stage, level of severity and treatment plan the cancer character has to go through.
Having conversed and read different stories and research from other patients and doctors, it is evident that survival rates have substantially increased (even in terminal stages). We all know the profound influence that the media can have on our worldview. From my own observation, there is a tendency for movies to use cancer as one of the most popular ways to kill off characters. Cancer is NOT a movie plot point. It is trauma. Now that cancer happened, it has become extremely triggering for me to watch cancer movies like "A Walk to Remember..." I can never watch this movie EVER again.
Anyways, what I also admire about this show is its focus on the simple stuff that every high school girl is faced with: prom, homework, boys, college applications, friendships, after school activities and sports. I guess what I love is that cancer shouldn't rob the aspects of what defines you as a person. Again, don't get me wrong. Cancer is a life-altering disease but I still find it so refreshing and encouraging that you can devote time to your hobbies as a coping mechanism. Whether you are passionate about acting, basketball or music, you can still continue pursuing it and it is a great way to channel your struggles and feelings.
Ever since I have been in remission, I feel like I was able to release my anxiety through workouts or singing. Perhaps I am being an idealist but as much as cancer may be a chapter in your life, I personally refuse to let this take over me and I don't want to be defined as just the "cancer chick." I believe we are so much more than our illness. We had a life before. Some of us love to travel, party, work, cook, write, play music, play sports, model, study...the list goes on. We are just like everyone else who just happen to have bad luck, where we are forced to do what every person would have done in order to protect their life.
Compared to other cancer related shows/ movies that I have seen, "Alexa and Katie" focus more on the life after cancer. Many shows and movies depict characters dealing with the horrors during cancer treatment but rarely about their life after treatment. Personally speaking, I love how this show reveals that life does go on after cancer in a sense that it is possible to survive cancer. Moreover, an important message that "Alexa and Katie" is trying to get across is that healing is not always linear. There is a common misconception that you are back to normal again once you are done with treatment. The truth about being in remission is that many of us are forced to handle long-term adverse effects, rebuild ourselves and figure out how to deal with the unknown.
Overall, I appreciate how this show gave me hope yet I was able to resonate with the struggles and the reality after cancer. I love the fact that this show conveyed the importance of having a good support system. That definitely makes a difference when going through cancer.
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