June 5 is National Cancer Survivors’ Day. With that in mind, I think it’s story time…
After I had a major medical procedure, I learned that my doctor had found cancer. He was actually extremely nonchalant in telling me this, literally not making eye contact as he checked for post-surgery healing. I looked at my husband, horrified. “Oh, don’t worry,” the doctor said. “I got it all. You won’t have to worry about it anymore.”
The sigh of relief was loud as I began breathing again. I had previously had a cancer scare (about ten years prior). At that point, the doctor had found a tumor and, by some miracle, it vanished. I’m still not sure what happened in that situation, but I had been thankful that it did.
After my doctor had told me that he found cancer but was able to get rid of all of it, I began living life a bit differently. I smile at my kids more. I put my all into anything that I do. I take more risks in life. Now, I’m not perfect by any means, but I do try harder. I try to get up and do my yoga every morning. I try to journal each night. And most important of all, I try to cut myself some slack.
I’m thankful that I didn’t have to go through the hurdles that many others deal with: chemotherapy, radiation, multiple medications daily, etc. I got lucky. But I try to not take that for granted.
If you take nothing else away from my story, just know this: life is more than the money we make. It’s more than how many hours we put into work or how quickly we finish projects. Life is about accepting people for who they are, changing the world for the better, and loving everyone we come in contact with – yes, that person too. Broaden your mind and make time for the truly important things.
