For most of us who have faced cancer, reaching the one-year mark cancer-free is something we never think we will achieve. When you get there you feel a little relieved that maybe you can put this behind you. Then you face the five-year mark just hoping and praying that you reach that milestone – you don’t want to think about it too much because that fear of the now known unknown can consume you. So you get on with your life, still holding your breath and waiting for the other shoe to drop while praying that it never does.
You’ve done it!
Hallelujah! You have reached your five-year anniversary of being cancer free. and suddenly your heart opens a little wider and you exhale a little louder . The actual number of years may vary depending on the type of cancer you had but the feeling is the same – you are truly back! You beat cancer! Your chances are now almost the same as anyone else. Everyone lives with the fear of what they don’t know but maybe now what you don’t know will not be so fearful since you rose victorious from the first time around.
What’s next?
No one wants to face it again but knowing that you dug deep and found the strength to get through it once will help you get through any challenge you now face in life since everything else then pales next to having your good health. The joy you found after your surgery when you heard “we were able to get it all” or when you finished your chemo or radiation treatments with successful results, the joy in just being alive and having one more day is what carries you through each and every day.
Moving forward with a purpose. Ask yourself – what can I do to continue to earn this second chance? The answer may be as simple as enjoy your life. Enjoy your successes large and small. Take joy in the successes of others – friends, family, strangers around you – for their joy will only increase your joy and gratitude in being alive and so very, very blessed.