Gratitude And Cancer Are Not Mutually Exclusive
Having cancer is the most personal of journeys. It rips you down to your core. It chews you up and vomits you out again and again. It’s horrible and frightening and disgusting. But it is also something I’ve learned to live with since I was first diagnosed 22 years ago. I’ve had lots of time to think about my life and how cancer plays a role in it.
With every event in my life I ask myself, what can I learn from this? And with cancer, the hardest lesson has been to learn to live in a state of gratitude. Why, after all, would one be grateful for a horrible disease that kills people too young and, for those who survive, creates immeasurable pain to body and soul?
It is not cancer for which I am grateful, but I am grateful for my life which has revolved around and evolved from cancer. As part of my quest to maintain right thinking, that is to say keeping my mind in a useful and productive place, I have kept a Gratitude Journal (many, really) as a kind of repository of thoughts. Some are simple. Others are very elaborate. But all are lists of things for which I am grateful. Here are but a few:
I’m grateful for having a loving family that has grown with me and cared for me.
I’m grateful for an adoring husband who has been my rock, my partner, my lover…even when things get pretty grim.
I’m grateful for friends who help me laugh during dark days and remind me of good ones.
I’m grateful to live where cancer care is the best in the world, with brilliant nurses, doctors and researchers devoted to fixing the cancer problem.
I’m grateful for our grandchildren who don’t understand cancer and think my infusion port is weird but hug me anyway.
I’m grateful that I live with a sense of purpose, helping others survive this disease as best they can.
I’m grateful that my work with cancer patients allows me to know them at the most intimate moment of their life.
I’m grateful that I am alive. Even on bad days . . . I’m still alive.
And the list goes on. I’ve filled many journals, often recalling the people or events in my life that have given me joy, have taught me to live and laugh, have made me who I am.
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
Add a Comment15 Comments
We are grateful for your strength in sharing your experience, as your insight has given many others strength as well! ~ Kara
August 10, 2009 - 11:27amThis Comment
Annette -- No matter what time of day -- or what kind of day -- I always feel better when I've read (or if I'm lucky) heard your words. Thank you! /karen k
August 10, 2009 - 12:42pmWhat a great article. In struggling with a chronic condition, I've found similar positive things to focus on. Thanks for sharing Annette. Always a pleasure reading your writings.
August 10, 2009 - 3:05pm-Andrea
I thank God each morning for life simply waking up and ask what He wants of me that day. I thank God for both family and friends I been lucky enough to be around throughout my life. I thank God for everything & everyone....the many years I had with my soul mate who taught me so much and helped me to be strong, our children, our grandchildren and a great granddaughter soon to be born. Having a roof over my head, plenty to eat, freedom to worship as I wish and so much more. I haven't kept a diary for quite awhile but going to begin again. I really enjoyed reading this.
August 10, 2009 - 5:39pmBeautiful, Annette. Thanks for the reminder :)
August 10, 2009 - 7:51pmAnd the first line in my Gratitude Journal will be that you call me a friend. I'm starting my GJ tonight! I'm blessed to have you in my life. ~ Phyllis
August 11, 2009 - 7:47amYou are a ray of sunshine to everyone you meet, Annette. Your smile is contagious and your spirit is always uplifting. I miss spending time with you, and think of you almost every day. You are the epitome of an "Attitude of Gratitude"
August 11, 2009 - 8:05pmMuch Love, Laura
we have many lives, and go around many times through thick and thin. life is for the living we go on. do as much as we can, and be thankful... we are still here. remember we aren't the only one, there are more like us, who survive.
August 13, 2009 - 6:49amsandie
I am a 3 time survivor since 1990. I know what it is like to be the patient, the friend of someone going on this journey, and to be the family member. This is not a fun journey or a journey that I would want anyone to have to take. But having said that, I am grateful that I did not take this journey alone. God, faith, education, medical personnel, family and friends played an important role in my survival. Since 1990 I have been involved with the ACS's CanSurmount Program, and The LINC Program Coordinator (which I helped form at a local hospital) (Listen, Inform, Nurture and Care are not only the motto to live by, but a way of sharing of oneself with others taking this journey). I pray for the day when there will be no more newly diagnosed cancer patients and no family or friends who will be shocked by their loved ones 'news'.
August 15, 2009 - 2:44pmI am grateful for having met you at the OCNA conference. We buried my best friend of 40+ years today. I am grateful that she came into my life for a lifetime and not just a season.
August 15, 2009 - 6:46pm