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hearts4hands

Share your story

You don't have to be a writer

If something happened to you — or to someone you love — and you'd like other people to read about it, we'd like to publish it. Bad spelling welcome.

Start writingRead other stories

Before you write

A few gentle guidelines

Not rules so much as what tends to work. If you're unsure about any of it, send it anyway and we'll talk it through.

  • Write in your own voice

    Say it the way you'd say it out loud. We'd rather read something plain and true than something polished.

  • Around 300 to 1,200 words

    That's the sweet spot — long enough to say something, short enough to finish. Shorter is fine; the form just needs 200 characters to start.

  • Change or leave out other people's names

    Your story is yours to tell. Other people's is theirs. Initials, a nickname, or just "my brother" all work.

  • No medical advice

    Describe what happened to you as much as you like. Please don't tell readers what treatment to seek or skip — everyone's situation is different.

  • We may lightly copy-edit

    Mostly typos, clarity, and headings. If we change anything that matters, we send it back to you first.

  • Nothing goes live without your OK

    You get the final read. You can also ask to publish under a first name only, or pull your story later.

The three kinds of story we publish

  • Personal experience

    First-hand stories from people who have faced cancer.

  • Caregiving

    For the siblings, parents, and friends who show up every day.

  • Cancer education

    Clear, careful explainers about research, treatment, and prevention.

What happens next

Three steps, no surprises

  1. 1

    You send it

    Fill in the form below. Your draft saves in your browser as you type, so you can stop and come back.

  2. 2

    A real person reads it

    Right now that's one of our founders, until we've recruited volunteer editors. Usually within a couple of weeks.

  3. 3

    We email you first

    You'll see any suggested edits and the publish date before anything appears on the site.

Questions before you send anything? Email stories@hearts4hands.org.

Your story

Send it over

Everything except your location is required. Your email is only used to talk with you about your story.

A plain, honest title is better than a clever one.

Pick the one that fits best — we can change it later.

A first name on its own is fine — just tell us in your story if that's what you'd like.

Only used to talk with you about your story. Never published.

City, state, or country — whatever you're comfortable sharing.

Around 300 to 1,200 words works well. Start wherever it feels natural — you can wander.

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Basic Markdown works if you want it: **bold**, ## a heading, - a list, and [links](https://example.com). Plain paragraphs are completely fine too.

Your draft is saved in this browser as you type.

A real person reads every one of these.