Thrive After Cancer: Redefining the Cancer Experience

The
experience of being diagnosed with cancer is like nothing a person has ever
experienced. At the time of
diagnosis, there is a complete alteration in your reality and nothing is ever
quite the same. Millions of people
have experienced this and there are millions of people who are physically
surviving their cancer. What about their mind and their spirit? How does our heart and soul recover
from an experience like that and BE okay?
Or better than that, BE happy?
I have been working with people who have cancer for the past fifteen
years and most of my nursing career.
I have had the privilege of helping in the various places of physical,
emotional and spiritual challenge that having a life threatening illness can
bring. I see cancer survivorship
as an opening or an opportunity for people to see who they are and what they
want from life. Both survivors and
family members are affected by the experience of cancer and it shifts
everything in your life.

There
are a few definitions of cancer survivor. One being that survivorship starts at
the day of diagnosis. I
believe that true survivorship also embraces a quality about the experience
such that a person has a shift in their life so that growth can occur.

A
majority of people experience the cancer diagnosis by getting into action
around coming to understand what their illness is, how to treat it and where to
get the care they need. Much energy is expended in doing this and it is where
people find their purpose in fighting cancer. Weaved into this is an onslaught
of emotions fear, anger, denial and sadness- just to name a few. Healing with
the emotions is draining. People don’t feel like themselves when they are stuck
in this place. Nothing feels in your control. Hence the spiritual question
arises- why me? People don’t often spend a lot of time reflecting on this
because comfort is found in making a plan and fighting