Shirley Rakuljic is a patient survivor, living with breast cancer.

Shirley Rakuljic 

After my breast cancer diagnosis, faith guided me through fear: 

When you are told you have breast cancer a lot of things enter your mind and the world seems to have different colors than you remember. The sky is not so blue and the grass is not so green.

It was amazing how a simple routine mammogram can change your view of life. I was told I had breast cancer on December 2, 2024. I remember the date because my birthday is December 3rd. When I was told about my cancer I didn't know how to react. I had so many questions with no immediate answers. I didn't tell anyone other than my husband and a Catholic priest.

I was confused. I knew I had cancer for a reason but why? What was God's plan for me? I prayed and prayed.

I looked for ways to deal with it and, in my search, I bought a pink cancer bracelet and had the priest bless it. I wore that bracelet to all my doctor visits, surgery prep, and radiation treatments. Having it with me reminded me that I was not alone and that God was watching over me.

On the morning of my last radiation treatment, I believed God wanted me to pass the bracelet on to someone else. My plan was to leave it at the cancer center.

On my way to my treatment I ran into a lady I had been friends with for years but that was until we had a huge falling out. We used to be good neighbors and discuss the happenings of the neighborhood and current issues of the day. That was until politics was discussed, and I am not a political person. I told her I didn't like the way the country was being run and that there needed to be change. I said nothing about who should do it or how it should be done. From that day on she avoided me.

It was obvious that I was no longer a person she wanted to speak with. She would cross in the middle of the block so our paths would not cross. I would wave but she wouldn't wave back. I knew I must have offended her somehow. I didn't understand why my view should separate us.

That morning, on the way to my treatment, everything changed.

I turned the corner and she was there She couldn't avoid me and didn't try to.She asked me how I was and how my kids were I said everything was fine and we were all doing well. I asked her how she was doing. Her face sank in despair and tears started to well up in her eyes. 

“What's wrong?” I asked, becoming a little concerned.

“I have breast cancer.” She blurted out.

“So do I!” I said without hesitation.

At that moment there was no divide, no politics, only two women facing an unsure future and battling an unseen foe.

She told me how the chemotherapy makes her so tired and that some days it is hard to cope with it and she became depressed.

“I need you to take this.” I pulled the bracelet from my wrist and handed it to her.

“I can't.” She said, shaking her head.

“You have to! God told me to give it to someone and I think he meant you. It's blessed and it will remind you that you are too. You are beautiful and cancer can't take that away from you.”

I don't know where I got the words to say but they rolled right off my tongue.

She took the bracelet and gave me a look of acceptance.

”I've got to go or I'll be late for my radiation treatment.”

I left her standing there. I waved and for the first time in a long time, she waved back.

The sky became a little bluer and the grass seemed a little greener.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education,

don’t forget to subscribe to CURE®’s newsletters here.

Articles

A breast cancer diagnosis can profoundly alter one's perception of life, as experienced by a woman who received her diagnosis just before her birthday. Struggling with questions and seeking solace, she found comfort in a blessed pink cancer bracelet. On her last day of radiation, she encountered a former friend, also battling breast cancer, and gifted her the bracelet, symbolizing shared strength and divine support. This encounter rekindled their friendship, illustrating the power of shared experiences in overcoming personal and emotional divides.

After my breast cancer diagnosis, faith guided me through fear, and in passing on a blessed bracelet, I found healing and an unexpected reconnection.

Shirley Rakuljic

Faith, Friendship and Finding Purpose After Breast Cancer

Latest News