Keeping Faith During Cancer

Health has always been one of my priorities as a young child. Throughout my life, I have faced many obstacles, however, being diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of thirty-four was without a doubt the most difficult one of all. You may wonder at times how people that have faced this illness can conquer it and move forward with a grateful heart. Well, let me share a little bit of my own personal story.

It all started when I had pain in my stomach for three consecutive days, which was extremely uncomfortable. The discomfort was not going away. After a few days have passed, I ended up going to the emergency room due to my stomach getting swollen. This visit to the hospital changed my life forever. Being diagnosed with colon cancer made me value life more. Leading me to practice a technique we all know as “GRATITUDE”.

To my surprise, I was on stage two. Thankfully, the cancerous mass did not spread through other parts of my body, the relief I felt made me realize how grateful I needed to be. I remembered being with my oncologist when she gave me the news. Ever since then, I always expressed my appreciation about life, especially how blessed and lucky I am to be alive.

One of the ways I expressed gratitude was writing in my journal. During that time, I remembered every night making it a ritual to write people, places, and things I was most thankful for. One of my favorite writing pieces was as follows:

Thank you for my:
Eyes to see
Ears to listen
Mouth to taste
Nose to smell
Hands to feel
Feet to walk, run, and move
Heart that keeps pumping and is keeping me alive
Cells that protect my body’s defenses
Immune system that keeps me strong and healthy
Blood that transport oxygen and nutrients to my lungs
Digestive system that helps my body absorb energy and growth
Brain that allows me to learn, remember, and reason as I have strong, cognitive abilities

But most importantly, I am extremely grateful for my perfect health because it allows me to enjoy life to the fullest.

This writing signifies how I view and appreciate my body because without it, I would not be here. Have you ever heard the saying, “My body is my temple.” Well, it cannot be any more true. I love and cherish my body more than ever. It fought and never gave up on me when I was going through my treatment, a.k.a., “Chemotherapy!” I have so much respect for every single part of my body due to the simple fact that it has given me a second chance in life. For this reason, I am beyond grateful for the opportunity that has been given to me with the sole purpose to express, inspire and advocate for people who have conquered cancer and are now proud survivors of this illness.

To conclude, I want to end my blog by sharing with you one of my favorite prayers that I wrote, which has helped me throughout this journey. Now, read this prayer with me as I read it with you:

Dear God,

I want to take this opportunity to tell You how much I
love and respect You. Thank You for giving me the
strength to overcome my fears, challenges, and
obstacles. Thank You for Your devoted love. I am
grateful and happy to call You my Father in heaven.
Today, I pray for continued strength, wisdom, and
inner peace. Let there be light. Let there be unconditional selfless love. Let there be harmony, hope, and faith in my heart. Please protect me from any harm or negative auras that’s around me. From this moment on, I draw and receive vitality, prosperity, love, victory, health, and joy into my life. Thank You for ALL of my blessings.

In Jesus Name, Amen.

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