Psychosocial

I try so hard to be positive, but in the back of my mind, I am constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop, for my blood counts to worsen, for the results of the next bone marrow biopsy to be haywire, for the chemo with its side effects to be administered, intensified or changed.

Once you or someone you love has been diagnosed with something big, the times between scans become sacred in-between times where you do your best to live in light of the ever-changing circumstances of your body. Sometimes that can be a time full of fear, but others it is a time full of hope.

Feelings of sadness and depression are common among those affected by cancer, but there may be another reason behind those feelings.

I would tune out or give an unsympathetic nod when I would hear people talk about anxiety because I didn't understand what it really was or how paralyzing it could be. That was until I got cancer.

Forgiveness is more than just words, it's feelings. Learning how to forgive others can help us in our cancer journey as well.

When I was first diagnosed, I searched for the stories that would give me hope in the darkness that surrounded me. Seven years later, I continue to pay it forward by putting my own story out there for the next person who needs it to find.

A cancer diagnosis can bring many fears and uncertainties to the forefront, but it can also bring friendships with people we would never have met had we not gotten cancer at all.

Choosing to connect with other patients doesn't come without loss, but the benefit of being empowered by others makes you a better patient and more impassioned survivor.

We spend so much time worrying what we can't control. What if we asked ourselves why and changed the thought process to worrying about only what we can control.