Since I was diagnosed with breast cancer '07, my life has changed tremendously. One thing that many of us do not realize is that each day is precious. Just being able to get up every day is a blessing in itself. Just being able to see the sky, the trees, the rain and the snow is a huge achievement.
Cancer is a blow to everyone it touches. The period immediately after diagnosis can be a time of fear, anxiety and frustration, for our families and us. We, the patients can be on an emotional roller coaster, from hope to despair, courage and fear, humor and anger and perhaps the most difficult of all, uncertainty.
A cancer diagnosis need not necessarily be a totally negative experience. It can provide the opportunity to step back and reassess one's priorities in life with the ability to make changes if one desires.
There is no guaranteed cure for breast cancer. The knowledge that the cancer may return allowed me the freedom to tell my family and friends how much they meant to me.
Living with uncertainty as we do makes me appreciate every day -- never to take the ordinary or mundane realities of daily existence for granted. One positive thing I gained from a cancer diagnosis is that I do not put things off. So many of us go through life constantly saying, "I'll do it next year" For me next year may be too late. I still live my life very much in the present and on a day to day basis.
People often ask me if I am frightened by the thought of the cancer returning and what I will do if it does come back. My answer is that I honestly don't know...
Romeoville, IL