It’s National Cancer Survivors Day Today
Today is the day, being the first Sunday of the month of June, recognized as National Cancer Survivor Day. It is the day that we recognize and honor ALL cancer survivors, no matter what stage of the disease that person is at. The term “cancer survivor” covers everyone from diagnosis, through treatment, through initial remission, through long term survivorship, and those who have passed from cancer.
Back in 1988, cancer was so rare in my life, I knew of no one who had dealt with cancer and lived other than my grandmother. Today, my life is filled with thousands of long term survivors who have come into my life. In my family, I have had six other family members face cancer.
Now my 37th year recognizing my status as a cancer survivor, there are two driving forces behind my survivorship at this point in my life; my daughters and my advocacy.
Of course my daughters were not even born yet when I went through treatments for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, but they know my story. But as they came into my life, halfway into my survivorship, I never looked back at where I came from, and only planned for one thing, to watch my daughters grow up, and provide me with milestones I never thought I would see.
My survivorship has come at a cost, in the form of late side effects from my treatments, considered unknown back in 1988, now finally getting the attention and recognition to help an entire society of survivors, struggling with the mysterious issues that come up with their bodies, from both chemotherapy and raditation therapy.
As my health continues to take hits, one after another, my focus remains clear, my daughters. I have so much that I still want to experience with my daughters. I have so much that I think I need to prepare them for as their enter their younger years in adulthood. I am not ready for them to feel the grief and loss of a parent. I know that I do not control my longevity, but that does not change my desire, my drive, my fight, to survive.
The other crucial part of my survival, has come from fellow survivors that have come into my life. I made a promise to myself, that I would help and support all that I could, in their battles with cancer, whether it be through peer to peer support, research, or through social media. Never in my wildest dream did I think I would ever write a book about my experience as a cancer survivor, and all of the other published things I have written such as Paul’s Heart, and the various social media pages that I have.
As I said, cancer survivors cover all stages of the cancer journey from the scariest of all, hearing the words “you have cancer”, to the physical and emotional struggles of getting through treatments, fighting the fears of relapsing once in remission, doing life as a long term survivor sometimes having to deal with late side effects, and to the realization that not all are here today in person to be recognized that together we are all survivors in a “club” none of us ever wanted to be a part of.
But here we are, whether day one, or 37 years, or even 40 or 50 years, today is a day to inspire, give hope, and support everyone whose lives have been touched by cancer.
Paul's Heart 