Life is a blessing

There are many inspiring women in the world. Women who keep fighting cancer and who find a way to win their life back. As if that were not enough, they find the courage to communicate their experience to others, who just like them, needed help. Let’s see their stories.

Inspiring stories from four cancer survivors

“Renee in Cancerland” is the name of Renee’s first book. Wanting to share her experience conquering stage 4 breast cancer, Renee wrote this book describing the way she dealt with her 6-year treatment. Through countless chemotherapy sessions, breast and brain radiation, three brain surgeries and so much more, she never lost hope that life will get better. Feel free to read more about her book.

Breast cancer was something more than a disease for Jean; being diagnosed with and surviving cancer taught her valuable lessons, such as:

• You don’t have to accept the unacceptable. You can find a treatment center, with healthcare personnel that treat you with dignity from the receptionist to the surgeon and oncologist.
• You should choose a treatment center for its excellent breast cancer care and not because it is convenient.
• Be a partner in your care. Ask questions and keep asking them until you understand what your recommended breast cancer treatment plan is going to be.
• Be in touch with a survivors’ group that can give you pointers on preparing for practical issues that will arise.
• Life doesn’t stop when you have cancer. There are still things that have to be done and experiences to be enjoyed.
• Avoid the toxic person who looks at you as if you have hours to live and the one who wants to know every detail of your experience.
• Pick a few close friends and family members who are non-judgmental, good listeners and let them be the people you turn to when you need to talk.
• Let people help. Some people are not good with words but they would be happy to help you by running errands, cooking a meal or driving you to treatment.

Let’s see what else she has to say.

Dee is an ovarian cancer survivor. When her treatment started in 2005, it was difficult for her to imagine that 10 years later she would be announcing her son’s wedding. Now, she is so excited as she never thought she would actually be here to see her son’s graduation and marriage! For her “life is a blessing, offering us the great feeling that we can actually do things that we never thought we would have the chance to do”. Read more of her amazing story on her blog article.

Did you know that only a few women diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer can recognize its symptoms? Karen decided to write an informative article on the symptoms of cancer and the best treatments available. The insights she provided cover a wide range of cancer including cervical, uterine/endometrial, ovarian, vaginal and vulvar cancers. The guidelines described in her article can be summarized by the following simple yet important advice:

• LEARN the symptoms
• LISTEN to your body
• ACT by getting regular checkups; reporting all unusual symptoms that persist for more than two weeks; and seeking care from a gynecologic oncologist (specialists with additional training) for the best outcomes.

For more details read her entire article.

An (unwelcome) teacher

In cancer, fighting and winning your life back is not an easy task. And as in every battle, we always end up learning something.

These women share with us their survival tactics but also the lessons their experience taught them. They learned that they don’t have to accept the unacceptable, that life is a blessing and that it doesn’t stop when you have cancer. Can we accept these hard-to-win lessons and be grateful for our life?