Survivorship

Cancer can both open and close doors. It can make life feel crowded and foreign. It can bring out both the best and the worst in people, much like being on a crowded elevator can. As it creates space in our life it can also push us out of our comfort zones but it doesn't change who we are.

After treatment, this survivor was terrified of everyone and everything until her very wise doctor said, “I did not put you through all this for you to put yourself in a bubble – go live your life.” And she has… for 16 years and counting.

When you are lost you ask, "Where am I?" When you go through cancer, it is hard to find where you are. In the map of life, why not find yourself where you are in this very moment? You are here.

As a result of what I went through and my never-ending passion for helping others, I believe that my diagnosis happened for a reason – to lead me to a career in patient advocacy.

I hear friends talk about feeling old and resisting the natural process of aging. “Old” for me was a dream and a wish. Now I rejoice in every wrinkle as affirmation that I am getting older. Yahoo. I can’t wait to be 70.

After receiving a diagnosis of colon cancer, one survivor started the Cancer Warrior Martial Arts Program, which honors kids and martial artists with their Cancer Warrior Black Belt and certificate for their courageous fight against cancer.

Scars

I probe the scars of cancer treatment and realize they are my salvation.