Today I Celebrated National Cancer Survivor Day 2018

June 3, 2018

National Cancer Survivor Day

This day defines a survivor as anyone living with a history of Cancer from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life

In a blink of an eye, your entire life can change due to a diagnosis. You are quickly forced to change your priorities and personal life goals. You are forced to take action when you have no control. You, in a blink of an eye, become so grateful for the absolute smallest of things and realize to stop worrying about the things that truly do not matter. You quickly learn how to let go of the history of yesterday and decide how you will focus today’s energy.

Today, I am a “Survivor” although I feel like I have a long way to go on this mentally and physically. Two more months of chemotherapy, possibilities of radiation and then another surgery to exchange my expanders. Today I am a “survivor” and I will learn to celebrate this every living day I have left of my life. As I am learning to survive, every 3 minutes a women is diagnosed with breast cancer.  A woman is learning over the phone the news of the biopsy coming back malignant. A woman is learning that cancer spread to their lymph nodes. A woman is learning they can no longer save her breasts. A woman is still fighting through chemotherapy. A woman might not get the chance to ring that final bell for chemotherapy. A woman every 13 minutes is dying from breast cancer.

• Being grateful for waking up and breathing every single day. It is the first thought I think about.
• Appreciate walking outside and seeing the beautiful blue sky and green trees
• Looking in the mirror and knowing my soul can outshine any physically appearance I may have
• Watching my daughter cross over monkey bars for the first time at five years old
• Being able to learn to appreciate my body. Even if it not as in shape as I would like it to be
• Being grateful for each day I do not have pains and finding the ability to fight through the days I do not know when the pain will end
• Appreciating that I have received some of the most thoughtful gifts, words and support from so many people that I have crossed paths with in the past 34-year and some day’s strangers
• Learning to make the time and not the excuse that I do not have time
• If you choose right and be kind ….the Universe will treat you the same

Today with some of my “Survivor Breast Friends” from my support group, we are celebrating together the Lynn Cancer Institute in Boca Raton. Our “home away from home.” The place my breasties and I spend hours a week getting treatment, blood work, shots, chemo, support group and doctor appointments. Essentially the place we all met through our support group. We will make new 2018 tiles of hope at our local Cancer center. We decided to make 9 tiles with our names and stenciled Breast Friends.  With our community of survivors we danced to That’s Amore, I’ll be there for you, You are my hero. We laughed, had some tears all with the support from our husbands, family, friends and community.

My only hope as I “Get These Off My Chest,” is that my experience can help another women going through this diagnosis to know she is not alone. She is part of a pink sisterhood that has brought some of the most incredible people forward in my life.