Cancer and chemotherapy are definitely hardships. I'm pretty sure that no one would try to tell you otherwise. My stage II Hodgkin's Lymphoma was what my doctors called "the best of the worst case scenario," meaning that, while what I went through was a difficult experience, there are cancers out there that are far worse by comparison. I had six months of chemotherapy in the pediatric oncology ward of UCSF Medical Center, and while it was no easy feat, the only thing I had to do was sit back and let the doctors, nurses, and medical personnel do what they do best. So, to that end, these are the obstacles I've faced in my life that, from my experience, have been much more difficult than chemotherapy.

1. Maintaining a Long-Distance Relationship

I've been in a couple of these, and am currently going through the hardship of living on the opposite end of California from my boyfriend. In fact, I was in a long-distance relationship while undergoing chemo, which made my experience with it that much more difficult. I find it much more difficult to begin a relationship in person, then move to long-distance, than just being long-distance to begin with. Trying to find a new groove as a long-distance couple is not impossible, but close to it. I'm certain that chemotherapy would have been much less dramatic and taken a much lesser toll had I been single or in a same-city relationship.

2. Being a Good Person

You're probably wondering, "What, precisely, does it mean to be a good person? What makes a person good versus not good?" Therein lies the problem. Go ahead and Google "how to be a good person" and you'll find that no person or publication can agree. Religion often plays a part in it, but moral beliefs, be they apparent or absent, always play a role in being a good person. Trying to decipher the complicated, conflicting rules for how to be a somewhat decent person could not be more convoluted. Cancer, on the other hand, is simple; just do what you have to to survive, and that's it.

3. Having Depression & Anxiety

Ironically, my depression and anxiety both stem from my time as a cancer patient; the helplessness of not going anywhere lest you catch a cold and die from your body's inability to fight off an illness is, to put it lightly, frustrating. Watching those around you finish their freshman year at college while you're stuck in the house is upsetting. However, finally being free to do as you please and not fear dying, and yet still being a year or more behind every other person your age can also cause some pretty severe stress. I fight my depression and anxiety every day; I get out of bed, I go to class, I work out, I do my homework, I socialize with friends and family, and I act like a person who has their crap together, even when I don't. I have to talk myself into each and every one of those tasks every single day. Unlike cancer, this is an illness I will never be completely rid of, so I just take it one day at a time.

4. Doing the Dishes

I live in a decent-sized townhouse about a mile off campus that doesn't have a dishwasher. Last year, I lived in a 3-bedroom, 1-bath house with two other girls which also didn't have a dishwasher.

I need a dishwasher.

I hate doing dishes. When my boyfriend lived with me, there were twice the dirty dishes and twice the number of people who hate doing them. Have you ever been watching a really awesome Netflix show and realized you haven't done dishes in a week? The lack of willpower to stop watching your show, get up, and go downstairs and do the dishes just makes you sink futher down under the covers and puts you in a bad mood until you finally, grumpily, get up and do it.

I really hate doing the dishes.

5. Losing Weight

Any of you who have done this (or tried to) know exactly how difficult this is. I gained so much weight after finishing chemotherapy, I had no idea how I was going to lose it all. You've heard of the Freshman 15, but I gained something more along the lines of the Freshman 65. I shot up from about 175 pounds to 240. I've spent the last year working towards my weight goal of 160lbs, and so far I've lost 60 pounds. From my experience, weight loss takes hard work, dedication, and breaking a lot of bad habits, which is never an easy task. The time and effort necessary to lose weight has proven much more complex than chemo ever was.

6. Falling Out of Love

If this is something you've ever experienced, you know the sort of emotional toll and heartbreak involved with falling out of love with someone. Realizing that those little quirks you used to adore now make you frustrated and angry is emotionally draining and utterly exhausting. While chemo was also a very emotional experience, especially being in the pediatric oncology ward, nothing feels worse than the actual physical pain associated with falling out of love.

7. Drinking Coffee Black

This is the most difficult thing I have ever tried in my life. I mean, holy crap, this is difficult. I once signed up to do a Whole 30 Challenge for CrossFit. I read the introduction to the recipe book and one of the first sentences was something like, "This is not hard. Beating cancer is hard, drinking your coffee black is not hard." I snapped the book shut and I never looked back. As a cancer survivor, I feel I have earned the right to have a little creamer in my morning coffee. Come on now, is that so much to ask for?

I think not.