World Cancer Day

Last Monday was world Cancer day and this blog was definitely supposed to go out last week, however having made it to the half way point with chemo I wasn't feeling 100% so I'm posting today instead.

Its fitting in some ways I guess, because for so many people cancer doesn't just affect one day, it is their everyday! This day is about raising awareness of cancer and what better way to do that than sharing our stories and experience. Talking about our experiences makes others aware of the impact of cancer, it highlights the warning signs and symptoms that people should look out for and it helps other sufferers feel less alone, which is a huge thing when coming to terms with a diagnosis! So I thought I'd share a post about what cancer means/is to me and the impact it has had on me over the last 10 months or so since my diagnosis.

This is a blog post I've wanted to write for a long time I just didn't know exactly what I wanted to say straight away. I've taken my time processing and trying to understand the impact that this disease has had and will have on my life, learning to live with it and getting to a place of acceptance.

For me cancer feels like everyone else in the world is at Disney land but you have been given a back stage pass. Whilst everyone else is busy living their lives and enjoying the show, you’ve seen the nitty, gritty, shitty bits behind the scenes. Instead of joining in on the fun you’re stuck looking on, feeling isolated by fear, sheer exhaustion, sometimes pain or simply because other people don’t know what to say to you, or worse still, they don’t say anything at all! I’ve made my peace with my diagnosis and as you can see I’m okay with talking about it, so you sure as hell shouldn’t get to be uncomfortable on my behalf!

My whole perspective on life has shifted and I’m starting to understand why a lot of people with cancer wouldn’t ever want to go back to how they felt before. Yes there are a lot of things about this I’d rather not have to deal with but at the same time it’s made me so much more at peace with myself.

I feel free to not give a shit about what anyone else thinks of me anymore, able to rise above all of the minuscule daily dramas and down right entitled to follow my dreams!

I think there’s way more to be done in changing the conversations around cancer, but that’s another blog for another day!

Thanks for reading :)

Katie