We've all been given burdens to carry at times, and what we do with them is what makes us who we are. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was devastated, as we all are when it hits us. I had surgery, chemo, and radiation, went through all the fear, misery, and discomfort -- and I survived! The key is I SURVIVED. Because of my experience with cancer, I have gone on to become very active in The American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, raising money to provide services for cancer patients, for cancer research, and for educating the public about the need for early detection.
I have also become an active volunteer, driving others to their cancer treatments when they have no one else to help, and being a willing ear for women who are newly diagnosed with cancer and as scared as I was in their shoes. What a wonderful feeling when a woman says to me, "You have been such a help; you've set my mind at ease." or "You give me hope." And when a patient I've been driving to chemo says, "I don't know what I would have done without you." I have also become a speaker at numerous ACS events in my area.
And if I had not had cancer, it would not have occurred to me to volunteer in any of those areas. The very best thing we survivors can do for others is offer hope that they, too, can survive and get back to living normal, active, useful lives.
North Port, FL
