When I was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 73, I didn’t know what to do. Do? How much life did I have left? Did that mean I had less than 2 years to live? Would my hair fall out? That’s when my life changed forever. From an extremely unkind, unfair and senseless world, cancer brought in positivity, perseverance and a new perspective on life. It taught me about the importance of friends and family in your life. It reshaped the way I looked at the world. In short, Cancer may have destroyed many things about me but it also built new strengths in me that helped me get through this difficult phase of life.

Six Things Cancer Taught me

1. The first thing cancer taught me is that loss is inevitable. It made me realize that no matter how much I loved someone or something, it would change, it would be lost, it would no longer be there. The person you loved the most would be gone, your health would deteriorate, your dreams would change, and you would have to let go of them. And all of these are extremely difficult to accept. But with acceptance, life takes on a different outlook. You learn to appreciate the little things in life, and you learn to let go of the things you can’t control. You look towards the future, and you start living in the present.
2. Cancer taught me to value the people in my life. And by value, I don’t just mean love them. I mean to appreciate them, to express gratitude towards them, and to let them know how much they mean to me. And it also taught me to make new memories with these people. Make memories that are as cheerful and happy as you can. Make memories that last a lifetime. Memories that will bring you joy, memories that will make your loved ones happy. Because once you lose these people, memories are the only thing that will stay with you. Cancer taught me that the relationship you have with your parents and your siblings, the friendship you have with your friends and the love you have for your significant other are not things that you can get back once they are gone.
3. Cancer taught me that even though it is extremely difficult, you can overcome anything. You can survive and overcome the toughest times in your life. You can face your fears, put yourself out of your comfort zone, and be the best you can be. You can be successful in whatever you want to do. Cancer taught me to be positive, it taught me to be strong, it taught me to be fearless, it taught me to be hopeful and it taught me to take risks. Cancer taught me that there is a big difference between dreaming and doing.
4. Cancer taught me that failure is a part of life, and that it is completely fine to fail at something. But instead of worrying about failing, you should focus on trying and succeeding. Failing is sometimes the best thing that can happen to you because it is a way to learn. It is a way to get better at what you do. It is a way to make new mistakes, a way to make new experiences, make new friends, and make new memories. Cancer taught me that there is always a way to get up after you fall. It taught me that there is always a way to succeed. It taught me that failing is a part of growing. It taught me that it is ok to make mistakes because you are going to learn from them. It taught me that failing is not a sign of weakness but rather a sign of strength. It taught me that failing is a sign of trying which is completely different from being careless or irresponsible. It taught me that failing is a sign of living.
5. Cancer taught me to be patient. It taught me that not everything is going to fall into place the way you want it to. It taught me to be calm and composed even when everything is falling apart. It taught me to be flexible, to change and adapt to situations. It taught me not to get too focused on one thing because it might not fall in place. It taught me to be open to new opportunities, new paths and new people. It taught me to be more aware of my surroundings. It taught me to appreciate the little things.
6. Cancer taught me to be kind to myself. It taught me to love and respect myself. It taught me not to be too hard on myself. It taught me to be positive and optimistic about my future and my health. It taught me to be strong, to be confident, to be bold and to be brave. It taught me to be resilient, to be patient and to be hopeful. It taught me to recognize my emotions and to talk about them. It taught me to be healthy, be fit, eat healthily and exercise regularly. It taught me to be financially stable and responsible. It taught me to be kind to others, and most importantly, it taught me to be kind to myself. It taught me that life is short and that you have to make the best out of whatever you have. It taught me to live in the moment. It taught me that tomorrow is never guaranteed, so you should make the most out of every day and make it worth remembering.

Cancer may have come into my life without my permission, but it definitely left me with a lot of respect. It taught me that life is short and that each day, each hour and each minute is something that should be cherished. It taught me that you should make the most out of each day and that you should do whatever it takes to make sure you are happy and satisfied. It taught me that no matter what happens, you have to push yourself and make sure you keep going. Cancer taught me that life is worth living.