15 Women Share What Cancer Taught Them

The process of recovering from Breast Cancer comes in all different shapes and sizes, but one thing is consistent amongst us all:

You come out of the experience a different person than you were before.

In many ways, recovery makes you stronger and in other ways, it forces you to mourn parts of your life you will never have again.

At any rate, I will let these ladies’ stories speak for themselves, and I hope it speaks to you as well.

What Cancer Has Taught Me:

Laurie G. — “Cancer has taught me to not sweat the small stuff… To be grateful for every day that I wake up alive, and to make the most of each and every day.”

Natalia M. — “Taught me a deeper meaning of kindness.”

Myra P. — “Gratitude. I’m thankful for every day.”

Christy M. — “Cancer has taught me to share myself with others so they too can get through the tough stuff!”

Lauren. L. — “I never realized how many kind and caring people there are in this world ??”

Karin L. — ”Cancer has taught me to pay it forward; to be available for those that are in the early stages of diagnosis, and tell them you understand. It taught me to let my body heal no matter what is going on. Cancer taught me that I can get through anything. I share the last two with everyone I talk to.... #wearestrong”

Lynn H. —  “Never ever lose your sense of humor!”

Jane K. — “Losing the hair up my nose was the funniest thing for a while. The tricks I could do! I walked into chemo with purple hair one day. I said, ‘Man you gotta watch those chemo drugs, ya never know how your hair will come back!’”

I am blessed! There is a part of me that is glad I went through this.... odd I know. But I have met the most amazing people who touched me in ways I never thought could happen. I pay it forward with every chance I get. As far as I'm concerned, none of us are victims, we are all fighters, warriors, conquering every day, every obstacle with grace, style and humility and most of all, with a sense of humor.”

Pashon M. — “Cancer has taught me that every day is a gift.” 

Shannon C. — “Cancer has taught me to cherish each moment and that it is okay to put myself first (that is after I make sure the kids and my husband are okay! ??)... and that it is okay to laugh— a good sense of humor got me through this! ??”

April Y. — “I learned that treatment is just a game of risk vs. reward, and if the maximum risk is greater than the potential reward, it's not an avenue worth pursuing. In this particular instance, chemo would've given me an extra 1-2% increase in the likelihood of disease-free living, but the side effects would have been way more costly than that. It's something I can apply to any life decision but never occurred to me until I saw it in a graph on my oncotype report.”

Theresa G. — “Because of cancer, I am emotionally and psychologically stronger, more compassionate, calm, charitable, and a better golfer ;).”

Maria B. S. — ”Be grateful and patient”

Ann M. P. — “Now life is defined as before Cancer and after Cancer. It’s not a good or a bad thing, it’s just something that happens. My sense of self has changed. That cancer stamp branded me, and I’m a different person coming out of the experience than I was going in, probably in ways that I still don’t understand. What I want from life has changed, I want to have more fun, I want to be more passionate about everything important in life, I want to be the best possible new and improved version of me that I can be.”

Mary R. T. — “I wouldn’t wish this on anyone, but I also love who I came out as on the other side. I am confident, cherish every second and every opportunity, try new adventures, and enjoy every second of life. ??”