When Erica Nowell tells her patients that she knows what they’re going through, she means it. Nowell first walked MD Anderson’s halls when she was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma in 2005, but she recently returned. This time as a nurse practitioner.

“It feels very surreal to be back,” she says. “But it’s not hard. I have a passion for people with sarcoma, and I connect with them on another level because of my personal experience...

From relationship advice to what to pack for chemo, many of our survivors have shared what they've learned from their cancer experiences in 2015. 

Here's some of the best advice our survivors shared this past year:

20 ways to feel closer to loved ones during cancer treatment 
Whether you're a patient, caregiver, family member or friend of a cancer patient, your relationships often can help you make it through...