I am Forever Grateful for All That Cancer Has Taught Me

Believe it or not, a cancer diagnosis can sometimes feel like good fortune knocking on your door.

A second diagnosis, nearly four years later, can indeed be the wake-up call that a Type A high school administrator needed to focus upon healthy lifestyle choices, mindfulness, physical fitness and seizing life’s quiet moments of joy.

I was 53 when I received my first breast cancer diagnosis. The prior 18 months had been a blur. I bought and sold three homes in quick succession and had a three-hour daily commute for my career as a high school administrator.

It was work that I loved, and to which I felt unlimited dedication but one that was not without stress, including occasional 18-hour workdays and daily 6:30 a.m. administration team meetings. I detected the lump in my right breast while getting ready for work one morning at 4:00 a.m. but postponed seeing my primary care physician for more than five weeks because I did not feel comfortable leaving work early for an appointment. I do not advise such a lack of attention to one’s health.

As many patients with cancer must do during treatment, I took leave from work for several months. Even during this time, my mind wandered toward my professional life. When I returned several weeks after the end of chemotherapy, I completed radiation treatments; fortunately, I once again felt healthy and prepared to return to work in full force.

My second breast cancer diagnosis, in March 2018, came on the heels of a particularly stressful period. Having lost my mother seven months earlier, and still very much in the throes of grief, I was once again thrown into the frenzy of medical appointments, scans, and procedures — and two surgeries within a month. Months of chemotherapy and radiation ensued.

As any cancer survivor can attest, life retains its normalcy once again amid the welcome hum of daily tasks and responsibilities.

More than four years later, I am retired and learning to enjoy a less frenetic life.

Cancer has taught me many lessons — to pay attention to stress, restful sleep and a healthy lifestyle. Always active, I can now focus even more on daily workouts — and I love them.

I have read several excellent books on cancer, including “Anti-Cancer” by David Servan-Schreiber and “The First Cell” by Azra Raza. I read every article I see and subscribe to cancer publications in an attempt to absorb as much information as I can about advances in cancer treatment.

I have found that making every effort to be informed about such a vast and complicated realm as cancer can seem daunting. It is, however, incredibly empowering to make the effort. Always a relatively healthy eater, I have adopted a predominantly plant-based diet.

I have learned to love the simplicity of green tea, teeming with polyphenols and proven anti-cancer properties. I eschew red and processed meats, sugary drinks, alcohol and most processed foods.

Beyond its lessons, cancer has also brought, along with the fear and anxiety, a conviction to empower myself and to create a life that I deserve: One in which joy can triumph over that fear and that anxiety.

Cancer has also provided avenues for wisdom and insight. I am forever grateful for all of it — every last moment.

This story was submitted by Donna Thayer and is the sole belief of Thayer.

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