Cancer Helped Me Choose Kindness

The phone rang and it was the call that everyone who has gone through cancer will never ever forget.

“Hello, This is Dr. So-and-so, I’m sorry to tell you that you have breast cancer.” This realization did not seem real. My world collapsed; my body collapsed!

“Not me! It can’t be me! I’m young and healthy. I’m a mom. I’m a wife. I’m a daughter. I have a daughter. I am going to die!” I thought, though that was not the realization I had.

This month marks six years since my cancer diagnosis. Today my words to anyone (including myself) would be: No, you are not going to die. Well, we are all going to die one day but right now, you are going to fight. You are going to survive. That was the realization!

I like to call myself a survivor. The truth is that cancer does not mean life is over. It comes in all shapes and forms, but with a positive mind and spirit, you can find strength from within. In the beginning of my diagnosis, I wasn’t open to accepting help or advice. When I look back now, I realize that it was the support and guidance that I received from other survivors that helped me the most. There is no one better to help guide you than someone who has been in your shoes.

I was the 1 in 8 chosen to get breast cancer. It was a stressful time, that I won’t deny. For me, once I allowed myself to grieve, I was able to get mad and prepare myself for the fight. I realized the importance of listening very carefully to my doctors, educating myself and asking lots of questions. That would ultimately help cure my cancer. I also determined that by accepting what I have been dealt, it allowed me to put my energy into being well again. I may have lost my breasts, but I was put back together by an amazing team of doctors. If I wasn’t clear headed, I never would have been able to move forward and make the important life decisions that I was faced with making.

I took the news of my diagnosis very hard. For me, the worst part was the mental and emotional breakdown, and not the physical part or the cancer itself. After I went through the grieving, anxiety and depression, I somehow had a fire within me telling me that I was not going to die. I will have a strong body again. I will shower myself with good vibes and I will heal — and that’s just what I did.

The traumatic and emotional part of cancer will always stay with me, but cancer itself has made me who I am today. I am stronger. I am wiser. I no longer take things for granted and most importantly, I choose to be kind because you never know what a person is going through. It could be cancer.

I will forever be grateful for the life I have ahead of me. I am a stronger person. I am a changed person, but I fought, and I won and I’m a survivor.

One realization to me that I did not know before, but I know now is: Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.

You need to have hope and believe you will make it to tomorrow and the day after ... and the day after that… and live life to your fullest. You are a warrior and a survivor too.

This post was written and submitted by an anonymous writer. The article reflects the views of the writer and not of CURE®. This is also not supposed to be intended as medical advice.

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