A cancerversary is a significant day of celebration for a person who has experienced cancer.

What’s the big deal about celebrating a cancerversary? Let me try and explain the significance of what today means in my life.?

A cancerversary is a significant day of celebration for a person who’s experienced and been fortunate enough to survived cancer. Some survivors choose to celebrate cancerversaries annually on the specific day of diagnosis, some choose to celebrate annually on the day the cancer was removed from the body or chemo was started. It’s the day that my fight officially began that I choose to remember.?

But today is not just a day of celebration; its also a time of reflection and remembrance. It’s a time that is emotionally challenging.

This year is a milestone cancerversary for me. Today, I celebrate one year since OUR fight started. Ana I use the word “our” because I had an army fighting with me. So many people across the world praying, caring, sharing love and FIGHTING with me.?

I’ve chosen to celebrate my cancerversary each year on the day of my first chemo infusion. According to many cancer websites, I could have chosen to celebrate the day of diagnosis because they say, as of that point, I was officially a cancer survivor, but I don’t see it that way. The moment I got the first chemo infusion, I saw myself as having survived the disease.

The lead up to today has been difficult.??I find myself in a very vulnerable mental state. I am ecstatic to have reached this point of celebrating my very first cancerversary and the extreme gratitude I have to still be alive, however, I found myself becoming very emotional for no reason. In the back of my mind, I knew exactly why. This was the week I’d celebrate being a survivor, blessed with more time to create memories with those I love, more time to annoy those around me with my horrible singing, and more opportunities to give back because I have been given another chance at life. A kind of re-do. I didn’t expect myself to be on the verge of tears every day as the barrage of memories from the past year began to resurface. Looking at pictures, watching videos, reading special messages from people I love so dearly, it’s been difficult.?

As a cancer survivor, one of my coping mechanisms has always been to stay positive, stay focused on my work which I love, remember who I’m fighting for and live to share the experience with others affected by cancer.??I’ve never been one to remain stuck in “victim” mode. That’s why I was overwhelmed when feelings and experiences from my cancer journey came barging in like a ton of bricks.?

Celebrating a cancerversary is a big deal to many survivors. Many of us who have been through the process of a cancer diagnosis, surgery, treatment and the many, many??degrees of trauma associated with cancer find a specific time of celebration to be almost therapeutic and defining. Celebrating and remembering this day marks a specific time and a specific event in my life where I was totally caught off guard by the fact that cancer had taken up residence in my body, taking so much away from me, but at the same time granting me a new perspective and appreciation for life and the many blessings I am fortunate to have.?

If nothing else, today will give me a moment of joy to add to my celebration of the life that I have been blessed to continue living. Will I be emotional, yes. Will you know abt it, no. I choose to stay the positive fighter that I was a year ago. Just be a little more gentle with me today… because until you’ve been through something like this… you have no idea.?

Happy Friday LinkedIN family?????