Cancer as a Turning Point
The "Cancer as a Turning Point" conference is being held in Seattle tomorrow and Sunday. It's a wonderful event, full of information and camaraderie---several hundred people together, sharing an intimate knowledge of cancer. It's hard to describe why it's so moving, but it is. It's a celebration of courage and humanity in the face of a dread enemy. Music, poetry, sadness and joy.
If you're in the Seattle area, come! It's free, at Meany Hall on the UW campus. I'll be shuttling speakers and musicians around on both days, but stop me and say hello. If you can't make Seattle, the San Francisco conference is coming up soon also.
Gotta run. I'm due at the airport to pick up Sista Monica shortly.
All the best,
Judith Frost, MSW
The Cancer Coach
http://www.cancer-coach.com
posted by Judith Frost, MSW, EFT-Adv at 6:18 AM
1 Comments:
To your coping advice, I'd add, Don't lose yourself; you're still you. You're the person you always were, with the loves, interests, etc. you had before diagnosis. You haven't lost yourself, your "personness." Cancer is a disease, a condition. It isn't you.
When I was diagnosed and going through treatment (and a near-fatal allergic reaction to chemo which took a year of recovery in and of itself,) I maintained the view that that was the disease and what it was doing, but it wasn't me. It hadn't taken me over. I was still myself, subdued by the disease and treatment, surely, but stil the person who loved, valued my people, interests, activities, and mind. I decided, from the diagnosis, that I would not allow cancer to take over my life. I continued to do and enjoy as much of the life I loved throughout my treatment. I found just doing that to be invaluable in maintaining my sanity and self. I trusted my body and doctors to fight the disease; the rest of me went on with my life. (Of course, through all this, I learned some valuable lessons about life. For another time.)
As to your comments about positive attitude, you're right. "Positive attitude" makes us "heroes," and less uncomfortable for others to deal with. But there's also a part of "positive attitude" which helped me to maintain my perspective and go on with being me and going on with my life. The cancer was roughly the size of a pencil eraser, I figured. I was much bigger. I would win. And that was that. From there, I could go on with much of my own life.
There's another part of "positive attitude" which I found important. It was a way of helping those who took care of me and my disease. I think those medical personnel who work in oncology are true heroes. They face frightened, angry, miserable, pained patients all day long. They administer the poison, the ultimate paradox, because, as it hopefully heals, it makes us sick, weak and miserable. And although many times these heroes succeed in healing, so many times they fail and watch their efforts come to nought and see the people they cared for slide toward death. So, I felt that any way I could help them help others was valuable. I knew that my cooperation, kindness, and "upbeat attitude" were helpful to them. It was a way I could "give back."
I also have very practical suggestions - for another time.
All the best,
Helen
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