Cancer Survivor

The Definitions:

Diagnosed with an incurable and advanced form of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, the only thing I knew or understood was that I became a victim of cancer. Chemotherapy is the treatment which brought remission. This changed my label to, “A cancer survivor.” That's great news obviously, but the problem for me began when I remembered the incurable part of my disease. If incurable means what I think it does, then the only thing I survived was chemotherapy. The cancer remains, however hidden, and I've been cured of nothing. Maybe someone should change the term, “remission,” to, “transition.” This might better describe the borrowed time between being victimized and surviving.

Needless to say the disease is confusing. By the way, a survivor is something I never was when cancer came into the picture.

The Dilemma:

As victims or survivors of cancer, either way, we become defined by a disease. For example: When people see me they immediately say, “There's Vicki, a cancer survivor.” It became my middle name. The first dilemma is that I don't want to be defined by cancer. The second one is this: If I have survived, then why is my disease incurable? It would appear to me that incurable means I'm living on borrowed time until I die, but isn't everyone?

The Solution:

I am no longer a victim or a survivor. Like everyone else, I'm doing the best I can to live abundantly blessed with happiness until the day I die, which by the way is true for you too.

So, please don't call me, “A cancer anything.” With time to heal, I survived my victim title long ago. Since then, I've moved beyond the survival mode. Today I like to say that cancer no longer exists in my vocabulary. The only incurable part of any disease is its name.

Let's erase the word,“disease,” and call it an opportunity for change. It makes sense to me.