LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT

Emily

Here is her story...

I was 27 years old and on top of the world. I felt like there was nothing I couldn't achieve and no obstacle I couldn't face. After many years of travel, I had made a life for myself in Australia and I was convinced that nothing could touch me. Then, during a minor procedure, I heard the words no one should ever hear..."you have cancer". From that point forward, in the words of my doctor, the next year of my life was essentially gone. I was a (then) 28 year old whose world consisted only of chemo, radiation, surgeries, more chemo, side effects and a lot of adjustments.

How did I get through it? I can't definitively say one thing in particular. There's no magic formula for fighting cancer, you just do what you have to do to survive. Some days that came down to simply breathing. I've always been good at keeping myself balanced and coping with struggles throughout my life. Going for walks, singing, writing in my journal...the list goes on. When it came to cancer though, I was unfortunately too sick at times to use any of these strategies to help me get through. That's when I learned the value in being honest with how you feel and asking for help when you need it. I struggled for months trying to put on a brave face and deal with my emotions behind closed doors. It wasn't until I was honest with my friends, family and more importantly myself, that things got better. It made such a difference to admit and accept when I was having a bad day, to call up a friend and share how scared I was at times or to just laugh and perhaps inappropriately joke about my situation at times. The most important thing I learned was to take my emotions as they came and not beat myself up for going through the lows.

I am currently sitting at the cottage enjoying a beautiful view, having just got back from travelling in Europe. I have recently decided to finish what I started and move back to Australia. Life is good again. But more importantly, life is what you make of it. Apart from not having a choice when you are dealing with a life-threatening illness, you always have a choice to invite as much happiness or suffering into your life as you wish. You can choose to dwell on the negatives or choose to see the beauty in the world. Life isn't about following or being the person you think others want you to be. It's about finding the people and things that truly make you happy and staying true to that.

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