It's difficult to think about anything positive coming from a cancer experience. Certainly no one I know would willingly go through it again. That said, I believe that my life is actually better than it might have been because of my cancer experience. I'm going to share a few of my own positives and I'm hoping you will to. I feel that if we can tell people who will come after us about cancer's silver lining, it will help them better tolerate the trials they'll face during treatment. So, here are a few of blessings that came out of my own experience:

1. I appreciate each day with my friends and family. They know I love them because I tell them - often. I've also become friends with other cancer survivors, who happen to be the toughest, brightest, most compassionate people on the planet.

2. My work. I wouldn't have become the publisher of CURE had I not been a cancer survivor. In this instance they wanted someone who understood magazine publishing AND cancer. I get to wake up every day and go to work that I love because it helps so many people. How cool is that?

3. Spirituality. I was raised in a Methodist household and went to church every Sunday until I went off to college. Even though I stopped going, I still felt that I was connected to God. When I was diagnosed however, that connection become much stronger because I wasn't reciting a prayer that someone else had written, I wasn't praying because I felt it was the right thing to do. I was praying to God deeply and personally. And I felt that my prayers were heard. That experience has given me a deeper sense of life's meaning. I also am very clear on what I want my death to look like. I'm not araid of that either. Now that's a gift!

So, those are a few of my silver linings... how about you?

It was never my intention to become so intimately acquainted with cancer. I didn’t seek it out, but somehow it found me. I have experienced cancer from multiple viewpoints; as an oncology nurse, as a caregiver for my daughter at age 10, as well as other family members, and last year experienced my own bout with DCIS breast cancer. As anyone who has been touched by this diagnosis will tell you, the “cancer club” is not one you would ever choose to join. However, the cancer experience does teach valuable life lessons. Death that comes suddenly from a heart attack or an accident doesn’t afford the chance to say goodbye, to mend broken relationships, or to say “I love you” one more time. A life-limiting diagnosis, like cancer, brings the awareness that life is a gift to be enjoyed, celebrated and never taken for granted. Despite any challenges faced today or in the future, every day presents a new opportunity to accomplish the purpose for which we were created. Simply surviving is not enough! Thriving is the goal!
Be encouraged! There is hope! Celebrate life!

I've gotten a lot better at setting personal boundaries with people. I also notice that I have much less time (and patience) for whining. But most of all, my doctorate degree (in Health Psychology) has come to mean much more to me.

Lisa
www.pinkkitchen.info