Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Cancer Survivor

Five years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  It was in its early stages at the time of diagnosis, which means it hadn't spread beyond the breast, but it was the most aggressive type of breast cancer.

Today, I have been declared as "Cancer free", as having beaten the disease, as being a "Cancer Survivor".  One.  Big.  Fat.  YAY!

Am I excited?  Well ... yes and no.  Of course I'm excited.  I'm mega excited.  I might even have something naughty like a piece of cake to celebrate.  That's like uber excited for me.

So, why is part of me "not excited"?  Because the five year mark is a mere medical milestone that now discharges me from my breast surgeon, back to my GP.  It allows me to get various forms of insurance that will cover me for cancer.  It's a formality.  And quite frankly, chemo has taken so much out of me that I'm not sure it's worth wasting my energy on "getting excited".

The truth is, the real war on cancer for me rages on, and will rage on for the rest of my life.  It's about walking a fine line between eating right, sleeping right, exercising enough, and yet still enjoying life to the fullest.  It's not easy and it takes a lot of thought, planning, correct information about nutrition, and an abundance of good habits.