Your Story Isn’t Over Start Each Day With Hope and Purpose

Brian Sluga is now a testicular cancer survivor after receiving the diagnosis when he was 20 years old. Catch up on Brian's blogs here!

Does your beginning point start the same each day? Only you can answer that question. And only you will be able to open up to the past. Perhaps your story isn't over. Yesterday was just a passage during which you struggled. After all, pain is a way of life. With cancer, I experienced pain many days, and it ruled me. I now use that past pain to open a new page and tell people, “Your story isn't over.”

The voice from my mouth is not the one I started out with. There were mornings when fear showed up before my day could even begin. Over the years, I’ve had a daily set of go-to habits that keep me going even when I’d rather stay in the chair, reading a book or the paper. I felt after my surgery my voice was taken for granted. Deep down I thought my story had just begun. However, I didn’t share that with many. I had a lack of appreciation for what I had done and what I was able to accomplish.

Some people collect seashells, others postage stamps. Then there is my neighbor who collects vintage cars like they’re Hot Wheels. I have for decades been sort of unaware when I get bruises, physical nicks, cuts, and scars. Even when I wasn’t trying to do anything special, I would be working in the yard or garage and come inside to see a random scrape or cut. The truth is I am a collector of wounds and scars, both mental and physical.

Some days, moments felt surreal with parts of myself slipping out of reach. I decided to lay out my vision for wriggling through a creative life. I had time to think, dream, and ponder to let my thoughts just flow. I made a notion to tell my brain that it can start the day with an itch but end up being a great vision. It is how my story has evolved. For example, from the two-mile morning walk and first 10-ounce glass of water, I start my healthy lifestyle. It’s my starting point to health that motivates me. Thinking back after my cancer surgery when everything was so dark in my life and unsure, I never ate healthy. Cream and sugar in my coffee, pizza, double cheese quarter-pounders were all part of my daily diet. All things now I realize were not a good way to eat consistently as a young man.

Now I prepare my mornings in thought while on one of my walks about how far I will bike, walk, and what I will do in the afternoon in the pool for my workout.

It’s a routine, and that’s what keeps me focused. It keeps me healthy and alive. Sometimes I need a change. So, I think “How can I change my routine this month and keep it going until the next doctor visit?” This is a part of my story.

A simple one, with twists and turns along the way to keep my routine interesting.

Years ago, testicular cancer was seen as a disease of shame that no one wanted to talk about. Now I am an enthusiastic advocate for testicular cancer early detection and for anyone who has ever had any type of cancer. I love to tell my intimate human story illuminating the fight against a very curable disease that if caught early can have a great outcome. Part of me would want nothing more than to go back - not to change anything, but simply to relive and enjoy who I was at that time.

I have always been one to notice life is just made up of decisions, some big and some small. There are times you make the right one and others you make the wrong one. And certain times, you think in the moment you are right and only to realize, years later, that it was all wrong.

Your decisions, good or bad, make you what you are. Your story is filled with moments only you have. Remember to take the chance to open up and allow ideas to flow. Your story can be a tool for learning and show people a side of you that may be hidden. Tell the world your story. You might be surprised who tells you, “Wow! That has me thinking about getting myself to my doctor for a health checkup.”

My journey doesn’t end like a place I once visited; but it is a feeling I carry with me, one that still lingers. In the past, all I felt was needing my life to be long-lived. I remember thinking life needs me as much as I need it.

I did want something more than just a carbon copy of my life before conquering cancer. Cancer wasn’t going to define me. My story is one similar to many, but unique to me. Speaking and writing about my cancer has made me realize how important my story is.

My journey can be used as a tool of experience and learning. Even as your story is being told, there is a kind of natural testimony. It goes something like this:

One day, you are focused on your tasks and responsibilities, and you suddenly discover cancer came in like a lion in the predawn, and now more than anything, you want to kill that ferocious lion. So, you run off searching for a grizzly bear to kill the lion. The lion is gone, and now you look for what truly will make you and others happy. It’s your story. Make it a great adventure!

For me, my adventure will be spending my days in uninterrupted solitude by the pool, wearing my favorite shorts caked in sunblock, covering my face with a towel wrapped around my legs later. I’ll write a few pages about my life experience.

My story is not dramatic but is happy, and my story is being told.

This piece reflects the author’s personal experience and perspective. For medical advice, please consult your health care provider.

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