Last June, my Mom and I celebrated by going to my favorite restaurant, The Elephant and the Dove. I highly recommend this place if you are visiting or passing through Skaneatles, NY. It's also pronounced "skinny-atlas" (for those of you who aren't from Western NY). My Mom is a two time cancer survivor herself ;). We shared our stories with an older couple and shared a pride flight :).
"Survivorship" is a process (that at least for me) was filled with highs and some lows. There is the ongoing care after your initial cancer treatment is completed:
The high cost of medical bills, even with health insurance
Denial of life insurance (that actually made me cry when that happened to me)
The mental wear on worry of cancer returning
The strain that survivorship puts on relationships with your family/friends
The physical changes your body goes through
I was hyper-focused on beating cancer and relying on my multiple oncology appointments-then POOF! My treatment worked! Now the hard part was what life is like After Cancer. Maintenance begins. In my case, I had lab work and exams every three months. Life goes on for everyone else, but I had such a hard time adjusting to NOT having multiple appointments. I was afraid that I would get sick again (I don't think that ever goes away).
Despite some of those stressors that survivorship can bring, there are obviously many more positives:
I am alive!
I try to be more present and live in the moment
I know what is important in life now, and I don't sweat the small stuff
I have made it a life mission to educate people on gynecologic cancers
I share my story with others
I realized instead of asking "why me", it really is "why not me?" because shitty stuff really does happen to anyone
I am so fortunate to live in an area with wonderful doctors
I am blessed to have the family and friends that I do; you are appreciated more than you know!
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