Adversity Is An Amazing Motivator
Posted May 4th, 2008 at 7:42PM
I was only in my twenties when I learned I had ovarian cancer. The oncologist said I was lucky they caught it. I went through a complete hysterectomy and endless rounds of chemo. (For the record, I am not one of those people who can rock bald!) It was a crushing time but I moved through each day by telling myself it was one more I would never have to endure again. There might be another like it but that particular one was over forever. Heck, sometimes I had to just survive one minute at a time! Yet, I never got discouraged (if ya knew me that would be a shock). I guess I did what I've always done....made it into a joke, found a way to laugh at the situation. When I went for chemo, there was always the same group of patients and we started betting on who would be the first to vomit or whose blood pressure would bottom out. Weird as it is, the bad stuff (like endless nausea) became hilarious, and an accomplishment if you will, because you knew you`d won the pot! Some of us made it, some of us didn`t. But for certain, those of us who remain remember those who have passed every single day. If you have cancer, please know I send my strength to you every single day. We belong to the only club no one wants a membership to. Cheers!
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Your attitude is so amazing and inspiring. Thanks for sharing!
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My mom had the same kind and was also in her 20s. I had a rare bone cancer, and had cemo, but I never got sick or nausis. I wish you the best.
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When I read your story, I heard a life saving strategy in what you did to move through those nearly impossible times. This is the strategy I heard you using:
I would never have to endure that day/experience again.
I survived one minute at a time
I never got discouraged
I used Humor,
I found a way to make it into a joke,
I found a way to laugh at the situation
We created a competition – we competed to see who would vomit, bottom out our blood pressure or get nauseous first.
It sounds like those were the strategies you used to save your life. CONGRATULATIONS on finding a way through a nearly impossible trial. You have amazing strength.
Have you noticed yourself using those techniques in other situations? -
Wow, what an incredibly observant reaction x -
Thank you for sharing. I am a breast cancer survivor. The chemo was bad....I have have written a lot about so I won't redo it all here. My attitude was a lot like yours, but I didn't have chemo with the same people every time....Hang in there and remember you are a SURVIVOR!!!!!
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You're amazing
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I saw this and it brought a tear to my eye. Myself and a friend were recently talking about suicide (not planning on it or anything) but just discussing why people do it and such. Anyway we discussed whether we'd *ever* contemplate it in certain situations. One of my views that I would never attempt it EVER again, but then again the human mind filled with emotions and irrationality is a strange thing. Because we discussed it so recently, just reading your post gave me some new insights to consider and like I said brought me to tears. Thank you for sharing your experience with the rest of us, I know its made a real difference in mine.
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I wish you all the best sisu. Make every second count.
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It remind me (horribly) of my battle with addiction. And I wanted to add that "I had the choice" but then I remembered that the choice was gone almost straight away. So I guess it IS similar. Xxxx
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