WOW - 5 Years have gone by from that terrifying day that I was diagnosed with Cancer! It feels like it was so long ago but yet the nightmare is still so fresh in my mind. Today was my last appointment with my oncologist and she said I am healthy and back to normal. After five years of close monitoring, you kind of graduate from the treat of it returning and are considered cured. I scheduled my last appointment before my birthday so that I could truly celebrate every year and be reminded that life is precious and we should live it to the max.
If someone would have begun to tell me what I was going to go through five years ago, I think it would have been overwhelming and a lot more difficult to handle, being naive sometimes is good, that way you do not anticipate the suffering. By not knowing what is coming at you, you are forced to take one day at a time, and just put one foot in front of the other, until a day like today comes and then the long scary journey is over.
The journey was harder then I thought it would be, the side effects of the Chemo and Radiation lasted a long time, the psychological effects on me and on the family are ever-lasting!
I also learned learned other facts such as -
Each year roughly 600,000 women develop cervical cancer resulting in nearly 270,000 of them dying from the disease. The best way to prevent it is by having annual screenings and for your children there are vaccines that can prevent the disease.
I was speared due to early detections and access to highly effective state of the art treatments. I have two colleagues that did not catch the disease in early stages and sadly are no longer with us!
I learned that love builds strength, prayer heal and nothing is possible without faith.
Going through this struggle made me reevaluate my life and be grateful for the things that God has given me such as A Loving and Supportive Family and Good Friends that ALWAYS Have my back!
I have learned to Take one day at a time, not stress over things you can't control, enjoy the little things such as Lunch with a friend, Cuddling with your children, Watching a movie on a rainy day, NAPS!!!
But one thing I truly learned is that we most live our best life everyday, be grateful every morning that we wake up healthy, to be happy in your own skin and to find your inner peace!
I thank you all for being there for me and for holding my hand through this journey. In the meantime my best advise is live life, love hard and tell people you love them.
Love,
NITA
