LOVE and CANCER SERIES
How are thrivers, survivors, and previvors navigating their relationships?
How are thrivers, survivors, and previvors navigating their relationships?
“If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?”
The most important lesson I’ve learned in being a breast cancer survivor is that I can do things on my terms and define what survivorship looks like for me.
When you finish treatment, no one really speaks about survivorship. There is no road map or guide.
I am self-conscious of certain things, no matter how strong I may appear.
Having a community of people who knew exactly what I was saying about my symptoms and did not try to comfort me with toxic positivity was what meant the most to me.
I know you want to give me the advice you’d give anyone else – to slow down, be mindful, plan, save, and focus on healing. I don’t want to hear that. I want you to recognize that I am grieving and moving forward all at once because I have no choice.
I was diagnosed at the age of 28. At the time of my diagnosis, my husband and I had only been dating a little over a year. There is nothing that could have prepared us for a cancer diagnosis. We went from figuring out what the future had in store to being forced to deal with the realities of our “right now.”
“You hear these inspirational stories and you know, people talk about my mate did this, that and the third. But you know, I know I wasn’t expecting some kind of magical happy ending. I just wanted you to live, that’s all, and I was going to do whatever I could to have that happen.” – Jason (Sincere529)
The most challenging part of being a caretaker is being a neglectful caretaker of your own mental and physical being; if you are not emotionally capable yourself, you are incapable of fully taking care of someone else.
Your voice, your story, and your support can make a difference. Join For the Breast of Us in our mission to empower, support, and advocate for women of color across the globe. Together, we can create a future where every woman has the resources and support she needs to overcome breast cancer.
On the Web:
www.breastofus.com
www.breastofusfoundation.org
Email:
hello@breastofus.com
Welcome to our community—where hope thrives, strength is found, and sisters in the fight become family.