Friday, August 8, 2008

A Thought Worth Pondering

"It isn't easy for any of us to transcend the past, or pain we might have suffered. Yet, there are gifts in those pains, and we can choose to let light into the dark places. We are not alone!"
~ SARK (Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy)

I have found many gifts in this process...
  1. Going to the doctor has become routine and I can now go without freaking out like I used to. I mean I would try to avoid a tetanus shot or blood work I needed. Now I can't even work up a good panic attack prior to tests anymore! With a life long medical / needle phobia this is a lot to say.

  2. I now feel I get the medical care I have always felt I needed. Doctors don't tell me I am overestimating my breast cancer risk and try to talk me out of even basic screenings. This happened many times in the past when I stated my concerns of the breast cancer history in our family. The BRCA2+ result is like the gold card for excellent medical care it seems.

  3. Now I am not a paranoid person who worries too much about cancer. I am a responsible person who takes care of my health!

  4. My FORCE friends who are amazing!

  5. My sister is BRCA negative so this means the family curse on this limb of the family tree ends with me. I don't have to worry about my sister's daughter and since I don't have any children it is like the family curse is lifting for us. My sister's daughter, my niece, won't have to bare this weight; for that I am truly thankful. IT STOPS HERE!!!

I truly believe how we see things determines so much of how happy we are in our lives. Occassional pity parties are fine but allowing for the possibility of good to come from pain is a fine trait too.



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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hello!

I found your blog while looking up resources for breast cancer patients, and thought you might be interested in a woman who's taken a pretty unique path in her own cancer battle. Meg Gaffney is a nurse, and when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she decided to skip chemotherapy and radiation, and go right to a bilateral mastectomy. But when her plastic surgeon recommended a skin graft surgery to build up new nipples, she decided to incorporate art into her own personal healing process.

For Meg, that means getting nipples tattooed onto her body instead of the graft surgery, and now -- after months of searching for an artist willing to take on her challenge -- she's about to get the work done!

We're 8 parts into a documentary on Meg, which is featured on GrowingBolder.com. I'd love for you to check it out and let me know what you think!

http://growingbolder.com/media/health/cancer/confronting-cancer-part-8-181742.html

Meg is dynamic, creative, and completely committed to ridding the world of cancer, and her spirit is contagious.

Thanks for your time, and best of luck in your own journey!

Katy Widrick
Executive Producer, GrowingBolder.com
katy@growingbolder.com
407-362-8237