Article
The 'Gift' of Cancer
Author(s):
A woman describes how cancer changed her life for the better in her poem, 'Gift.'
This poem describes not just what cancer can took from me, but rather the tremendous gift it was.
It changed my entire life for the better.
I hope that those that are newly diagnosed can see that it is not always the tragedy you expect it to be.
GIFT
You are told you have cancer
Your breath stops
The world as you know it stops
You ask, "Am I going to die?
What is it going to take from me?"
It took my health
It took part of my body
But it gave me more than it took away
Cancer gave me a new world
Cancer gave me strength I didn’t know I had
Cancer gave me a voice I didn’t know I had
Cancer gave me focused purpose I didn’t have before
Cancer gave me the opportunity to help others
In a way I had never done before
Cancer gave me a gateway to medical research
Cancer gave me friends who shared a common fear
Cancer gave me colleagues who wanted to make this world better
Cancer gave me courage to become the new me
It did not take my life
It gave me a new life
Thank you cancer.
This poem was originally submitted for the CURE® 2021 Poetry Contest.
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