The good I've found in cancer

Yes, you read that correctly. The good I've found in Cancer. It sounds nuts right? And I’ll be honest, it’s easier said then done most days.

In the heart of treatment, my only objective was to get through. Get through another Treatment. Get through another week. Get through another appointment. Get through another day. It wasn’t until I get more of my life and my time back that I realized what I missed. So I’ve learned to really enjoy the good things I can in life, no matter now small.

I have never felt as loved as having cancer. The support of my world around me has been unbelievable. I’m so lucky and loved. I wish I didn’t have to go through cancer to feel this, but it’s just the reality of my situation. It really showed me who showed up.

That’s another big win. I’ve learned the true value of showing up. Going to the art show. Supporting a friends post. Even just checking in when you know someone needs it. I can’t show up as much and as often as I’d like, but I’m so happy to be able to show up at all again, even it its just a little right now.

I have made some incredible friends through this. Finding friends going through treatment at the same time has been one of the biggest blessings. The unfortunate part is, there is a lot of young people with cancer in this area. But the good news for us, we have each other. We can be 100% ourselves with each other. We can walk each other through the scary parts as we navigate this together. We have gone through things you never wish on anyone else and understand the value of not doing it alone. I have some fellow cancer patients who have been a lifeline since being diagnosed.

I’ve learned deeper compassion. I know what it’s like to have little to no control over what is happening with your body. I think about that often. I know how it feels to leave your house not feeling like yourself or hating the way you look and it’s completely beyond your control. It’s helped me to see beyond my privileged white healthy world.

I find joy in the smallest things. The ability to work for a little more time or get a little faster then I was. The ability to help around the house again after not being able to lift. Enjoying a warm coffee after your stomach has been so bad you only eat bland food. The feeling of contributing again, to something, anything. The joy in the moments that aren’t about cancer.

I’m not going to sugar coat anything, it’s far from rainbows and sunshine. But you can find the good and the brighter parts after the storm has past. And they are oddly beautiful in their own way.

I know, it sounds cheesy to me too. Ha.