What Standing Up to Colon Cancer Means to Me

Have you ever asked yourself, “What does standing up to cancer mean to you?” For some people it could mean advocating for someone that is going through the illness while others might believe it is a person that fights the illness and is alive to tell his and/or her story. Not in a million years, would I have thought I would go through cancer. At the age of 34, I received the biggest news of my life, which was my diagnosis with colon cancer. I remembered that day like it was yesterday. In this blog, I would love to share with you my perspective about what it means to me to stand up to cancer.

First of all, when I heard, “We found a mass in your colon and it is cancerous. You have colon cancer. You have to stay in the hospital because we have to do an emergency surgery to get the mass out,” I could not comprehend what the doctor was telling me. I was in complete shock and did not even know how to respond or what to say. When I heard the word cancer, my instant thought was “Is this really happening? Did I just hear that I have cancer?”

During that time, I recalled my body shivering, being completely scared, and all alone. Even though the doctor was trying his best to help me stay at ease, I began to shed tears. I felt such a pain in my heart that words could not describe it. My heart was racing so fast, and I had a million thoughts running through my mind. Yet, I knew I had to calm down, so I took a deep breath. From that moment on, I knew I had to decide how I was going to move forward knowing all the challenges coming my way.

So, what does standing up to cancer mean to me? From my personal experience, it is about making a CHOICE. I chose to be a fighter, a warrior and a survivor, because I knew that this was NOT the end of my story. For this reason, I began my journey to heal myself and overcome ALL the obstacles I was going to face. You have heard the saying, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Well, now more than ever, I live by that principle.

Standing up to cancer, from my perspective, was learning and practicing self-healing. This consisted of changing my way of thinking and attitude. During that time, I remembered telling myself on a consistent basis, “No matter what happens, I will do everything in my power to be cancer free.” With that mindset, I started to train my way of thinking by applying affirmations, meditation, motivational videos, journaling, visualization and the significance of self-love and gratitude in my daily life. I also began to read books that empowered me to improve my self-development.

One of the techniques that played an important role in my life was affirmations, which focused on health. I would tell myself throughout the day, “I am healthy and whole. I have perfect health. I am cancer free. I am healed.” By repeating these affirmations out loud, I trained my way of thinking. I started to focus on positive thoughts versus negative ones. Indeed, looking back, being diagnosed with colon cancer has been a blessing in disguise. I appreciate life more and am open to endless opportunities. I will be forever grateful for this experience making me the woman I am today. FOREVER BLESSED!

This piece reflects the author’s personal experience and perspective. For medical advice, please consult your health care provider.

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