I was diagnosed in 2008 with stage 2 estrogen induced cancer. In that same year my mother died and within a few months my mother-in-law and father in law both died. My husband lost his job and we stopped paying the mortgage. I went through a mastectomy. 6 rounds of chemo and 30 of radiation all while trying to help my spouse with his depression. My daughter was a god-send. She listened to me and drove me to all do my appointments, the best thing to come out of this experience is that we have become so much closer.
Skip forward five years, we have both worked through the grief, my husband has a great job, and we have a much better mortgage. I Go for a mammogram, weeks short of the 'magic' 5 years survivor. I then discover that I have a 2cm lump in the other breast. This time it is a different cancer HER2, lucky me, I got a 2fer. This time they got all of it with the lumpectomy. I just passed the half way mark in my chemo and discovered that I really had sailed through it last time as this cancer is more aggressive and so the chemo has to be.
Anyway, managing the side effects with medication. My husband has been much more involved and takes me to appointments when work allows. My daughter takes me to all the others and we have another 30 sessions of radiation to look forward to. I have no doubt that we will all get through this.
I am also,finding other changes in myself. I have always been an optimist, but very impatient. I am finding that the thing that we can give,to others is not money or goods but our time. I have become more sympathetic and compassionate to others and I take the time to listen. For these lessons, perhaps it is all worth it.
San Diego, CA