So You Have Cancer

What might be one of the hardest things a woman can hear? Well a good friend of mine, over five years ago, was told by her doctor that she had breast cancer. I am here to tell you that this was one of the hardest things this woman has ever heard from her doctor. And by the way I have her permission to relate this story.

She said that she thought her heart was going to stop. Her first reaction was certainly fear and then her disbelief set in. But she and I worked together to keep her stress level down while she conducted this health battle.

What would you do, may I ask? Well she decided to just take it slow. All of her thoughts, the advice of her friends and family and all of the information like choosing which hospital and which treatments were certainly over whelming. But to her credit she took it one day at a time.

She gave herself permission to feel sad and to get a little nostalgic. She joined a local support group of women who are cancer survivors. They all have been through it and still are going through it. She made sure she was taking good care of herself both physically and emotionally.

Then a light went on (her words), she is still a mother and wife, that did not change and with it come responsibilities. So she said to herself, shape up as you are needed! Now her attitude was and still is that she would not allow this to beat her, she was and is going to win and win she did, just got her free pass for another five years.

In a nut shell she created a plan and got very organized, that was the only way. She asked lots of questions, she became a great listener and then she went out into the world and stopped feeling sorry for herself. As I have been told many times by her, a great attitude was what she calls her great equalizer.

She just knew she was not going to quit in this battle and she kept her head high. She was always asking what can I do next? She was and still is hard to keep up with. She is fully aware her fight is truly never over but as time has passed her confidence has risen with it. And as always you must live well to be well.

I think. I read. I care. I inform. I coach. A great real story about my friend. My passion is to help. Sandeep Rajput