Wednesday 7 March 2012

HOW BREAST CANCER CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE (IN A GOOD WAY)


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Julie Miller
I remember the day my mom found out she had breast cancer. I had just gotten off the bus and ran home, super excited to see her car in the driveway. She wasn’t usually home until after 5, but that day she had a doctor’s appointment. I opened the door and she walked down the stairs smiling. “How was your day?” she asked as we met on the steps and hugged. I replied, “Good!” and asked her about hers.
“Well, I just got back from the doctor,” she paused. Her smile turned worried and her voice cracked a little, and that’s when she told me she had breast cancer. I stared at her, and the tears started to flood down my face. “Wait- what are you doing?” she asked me, hugging tight. “This is a good thing.” I looked at her so confused. My 14-year-old self knew that breast cancer was in fact not a good thing, however I trusted this woman more than anyone in my life, so I had to hear her out.
Her optimism danced around the scariness of cancer and her upcoming operation and chemotherapy, while her favorite quote flew out of her mouth: “Everything happens for a reason. There’s some reason this is happening… and it’s good. Don’t worry.” I don’t know why I believed her, but I went with it and I don’t think I ever cried about it again, even when I saw her at her worst.
But, thank God she was right. (I would have been really mad to find out she had lied to me, of course.) She’s a breast cancer survivor for 12 years now, and I don’t know how she did it, but she is happier, more beautiful and more healthy than ever. One of the pacts she and I made was that when she survived and got past all it, we’d say goodbye to renting and build our own house. And we did — she still lives in it. Having that goal/reward at the end made going through it all a bit easier (if that’s possible).
Have you ever been able to get through something so hard by being optimistic? How did it change your life in a good way? Let’s talk about it in the comments below.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Although women are still dying of the disease, many have joined the list of survivors thanks to organizations such as Susan G. Komen 4 the Cure and the American Cancer Society. Please support in whatever way possible and be sure to practice self breast exams for early detection.
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