Lived Experience of Flourishing in Childhood Cancer Survivors: A Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND: Childhood cancer survivors tend to live longer than their adult counterparts. Given their longer life expectancy, attention should shift from mere survival to overall well-being. Accordingly, it is crucial to explore how they can flourish across various domains of life after active treatment. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore flourishing experiences of childhood cancer survivors. METHOD: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 survivors of childhood cancer aged 10 to 24 years between October and December 2023. Participants were recruited through purposeful sampling at a tertiary hospital in Korea. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a descriptive phenomenological method. RESULTS: Among the participants, 75% identified as male (n = 12) and 25% as female (n = 4). The mean age was 14.88 years old. Four central themes emerged regarding flourishing experiences: (1) gratitude for the invaluable daily life, (2) respecting one's value, (3) gravitating toward love, and (4) expectations for the future. Participants experienced flourishing through gratitude for small things in daily life; recognized and respected their renewed self-worth; experienced a shared sense of being loved and loving within their families, among health care professionals, and with friends; and had positive expectations for their future. CONCLUSIONS: These findings can inform the roles of mental health nurses and health care providers in delivering optimized clinical mental health counseling and person-centered care to help survivors experience a flourishing life after returning to their families and communities.