KatieB Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 The National Cancer Institute says you are a survivor from the moment you are diagnosed. Yep, that's great...but that doesn't mean you FEEL like a survivor, especially while you're going thru treatment or the uncertainty of next steps in your treatment plan. I'm a 16 year cervical cancer survivor and I didn't "feel" like a survivor untill about 8 years ago. I wanted to "ignore" it and pretend like it never happened. It wasn't until I became a patient advocate that I realized how incredibly lucky I was and I realized my own mortality. I guess when you're young you think you live forever... Anyway, just this week another survivor asked me this same question..... When do you "feel" like a survivor? When will the skies be brighter, food taste better and I feel "blessed" for another day to be a survivor? Well, I don't know if I ever felt that way, but I don't sweat the small stuff, and I appreciate how short life is and all that I still have..... So, did you have a moment when you felt like a survivor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treebywater Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 As you know, I'm not there yet... But I feel like I get little glimpses. Especially when friends help me to feel like the way *I* feel is ok too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cat127 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 This has been a topic of conversation with my sister since early in the diagnosis. I told her then - every day you wake up, you are a cancer survivor! One day she asked our other sister what she thought, then said to her "Well, I'm not dead yet, so I guess I'm a survivor." She definitely embraces that concept, but I need to ask her was there a time when she went from thinking - well that's what my sisters say, to really embracing it. Now at our Livestrong Challenge, she's quick to ask me where her "I'm a survivor" bib is. She loves pinning that on her shirt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud Baker Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 The day of my unofficial diagnosis. I ordered a new bike three days before my surgery so I'd have a home project to tinker with while I was off work for a month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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