PAYING IT FORWARD

In review of a previous survivor’s story I wrote*, it’s easy to see that I was in a very different place then as compared with today eight years later.

The article, along with my journal and the bi-monthly emails I wrote to friends and family about my breast cancer journey, all serve to remind me of the shock, fear, learning, spirituality and hope I experienced on the way to getting well again. These writings were therapeutic then and they help me stay grounded today. I don’t refer to cancer as a “gift” because a gift is something I consider wonderful enough to give someone else; and cancer is definitely not that! However, having had breast cancer and not knowing whether I would ever be OK again, I’m reminded to be abundantly grateful for every day and to not take anyone or anything for granted. The Beyond Pink TEAM was instrumental in providing emotional support throughout my journey. Today, I “pay it forward” by providing emotional support to other women with breast cancer, by continuing to educate myself about prevention and re-occurrence and by advocating to end this horrible disease by 2020. *See the April 2008 “Touch of Courage” issue on www.beyondpinkteam.org under Education tab for DJ’s survivor story, “Scars, Marks and Tattoos.”