Today is National Cancer Survivors Day and its my 4th celebrating as a cancer survivor. In the grand scheme of things, I suppose I’m still relatively new at this, but I feel like a veteran with the massive amount of spiritual and emotional growth I’ve gone through since my diagnosis. Its funny how time canContinue reading “What Does it Mean to Be a Survivor?”
Tag Archives: acceptance
Reminiscing on Death
It’s an odd feeling to look back at myself 4 years ago, just a few months shy of my first Rebirthday, and remember how hard the Summer months used to hit. The sounds of the crickets and the spring peepers would churn up a dark feeling of dread in the depths of my gut. InContinue reading “Reminiscing on Death”
Body-ody-ody
Does anyone else get a song stuck in their head and then have it there the entirety of writing their blog post? No? Just me? Ok then. . . I posed a question yesterday for the members of my survivorship Facebook group, and I thought I’d answer it here because I have lots to sayContinue reading “Body-ody-ody”
Rebirth
I’ve spent almost the last 3 years mourning my old self, lamenting the past. I think a lot of people do this, whether or not they’ve faced cancer or another life-altering trauma. I believe it’s a form of anxious attachment to perceived comfort and stability; we feel safe in the known, even if the knownContinue reading “Rebirth”
Superhero Status Achieved
Since my diagnosis first with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (a genetic degenerative neuromuscular disease) and then with tongue cancer (also a genetic thing), I’ve often joked that I’m like one of the X-Men. If you’re unfamiliar with Marvel’s X-Men, they can best be described as humans with genetic changes that give them a variety of super powers. They’reContinue reading “Superhero Status Achieved”
525,600
Do you choose fear or love?
The Gift
I can distinctly remember a shirt I hated as a child because it was itchy. I remember throwing a fit because of it. I still hate itchy or restrictive clothes. I have to have 400+ thread count sheets and they have to be cotton, not sateen. Otherwise they feel scratchy and I can’t get comfortable.Continue reading “The Gift”
A Eulogy to My Former Self
Today I miss her. I miss her smile. I miss her sarcasm and how she would sit outside on Summer evenings and savor a glass of sweet wine. I miss her love of spicy food and trying new things and pushing the limits of her physical capabilities. I even miss her naivete. Sometimes I especiallyContinue reading “A Eulogy to My Former Self”
Out of the Darkness Comes the Light
Sometimes when I’m feeling particularly emotional, I just start writing. This came to me a few days ago when I was feeling down about post-treatment life. One thing I find so amazing about creative writing is it almost always leads me to the mindset shift I need to pull myself out of the darkness. ItContinue reading “Out of the Darkness Comes the Light”
2020 Vision
Well, I think it’s safe to say most of us are pretty ecstatic to leave 2020 behind us. I feel like we’ve never been more divided into “us” and “them” than we became this year. We stopped listening to what one another had to say and our ignorance and selfishness has hurt us more thanContinue reading “2020 Vision”
One Life, One Chance 