Cancer On My Mind
Today I am grateful for rest. I am also grateful for the people in my life who continue to do well after their own cancer diagnoses.
Cancer is on my mind. A co-worker's spouse has surgery today. A friend's friend just got diagnosed. Four years ago today (May 17, 2009) I ran a half-marathon--five months to the day after my mastectomies (December 17, 2008). It was a memorable milestone in my recovery. I haven't run that particular race since, but I will be running it on Sunday. It's my way of celebrating being five years out from my own diagnosis. (That anniversary comes later this month.)
Truth is, cancer is on my mind often. But it is often on the fringes, not the forefront. Angelina Jolie's op-ed piece in the New York Times and all the discussion that has generated has been all over the news as well this week. Jolie made a personal decision based on the information she had. That information clearly showed her at high-risk for getting breast cancer. The preventative measures she took are the ones many women choose, they just don't make the headlines. I commend Jolie for the way she came forth with this, but I commend the everyday heroes who face these choices too, some without the good fortune of access to exceptional health care.
And I commend people like Lisa Adams and Mark Weber, living each day with Stage IV cancer. Lisa Adams' latest blog post talks about time, about six minutes. You can read it here. How does that look to someone dying from cancer?
How does that look to someone like me? No evidence of disease today. Set to run a half-marathon in a couple days. Though the lens I am viewing life through is much different than Lisa Adams' lens today, I think we both would agree that time is precious. Today is precious. I will try to honor that by taking gratitude with me throughout the hours and minutes.
Cancer is on my mind. A co-worker's spouse has surgery today. A friend's friend just got diagnosed. Four years ago today (May 17, 2009) I ran a half-marathon--five months to the day after my mastectomies (December 17, 2008). It was a memorable milestone in my recovery. I haven't run that particular race since, but I will be running it on Sunday. It's my way of celebrating being five years out from my own diagnosis. (That anniversary comes later this month.)
Truth is, cancer is on my mind often. But it is often on the fringes, not the forefront. Angelina Jolie's op-ed piece in the New York Times and all the discussion that has generated has been all over the news as well this week. Jolie made a personal decision based on the information she had. That information clearly showed her at high-risk for getting breast cancer. The preventative measures she took are the ones many women choose, they just don't make the headlines. I commend Jolie for the way she came forth with this, but I commend the everyday heroes who face these choices too, some without the good fortune of access to exceptional health care.
And I commend people like Lisa Adams and Mark Weber, living each day with Stage IV cancer. Lisa Adams' latest blog post talks about time, about six minutes. You can read it here. How does that look to someone dying from cancer?
How does that look to someone like me? No evidence of disease today. Set to run a half-marathon in a couple days. Though the lens I am viewing life through is much different than Lisa Adams' lens today, I think we both would agree that time is precious. Today is precious. I will try to honor that by taking gratitude with me throughout the hours and minutes.
Great post! thank you for the link and for the reminder of how precious each and every moment is :)
ReplyDeletePausing to appreciate life's little moments is one of the gifts I get when I practice gratitude. I spent years missing moments and joy. I try not to let that happen anymore...at least not as much as it used to. Thanks for commenting!
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