Maya Angelou once said, “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” This quote signifies how I acknowledge my reflections after my diagnosis of colon cancer. Throughout my journey, I realized who I wanted to be and where I wanted to go, which would play a consequential part in my success in my recovery.
In this blog, I desire to take a moment and self-reflect on my passage after being diagnosed with colon cancer. It amazes me that four years have already passed. To me, it seems like it was yesterday. I can still recall that day so vividly. Hearing the doctor say, “You have a cancerous mass in your colon. You have colon cancer. As a result, we scheduled an emergency surgery to remove the mass,” was definitely a hard pill to swallow. I remembered thinking to myself: Did I hear right? Did the doctor just inform me that I have colon cancer? This cannot be happening to me. I am so young. When did this even happen?
Many thoughts crossed my mind that day, but I knew at that moment I had to make a decision: am I going to be a victor or a victim? Choosing to be victorious was my only option. Even though nobody would ever want to be diagnosed with any type of cancer, I took it more as an opportunity to grow in all areas of my life. Learning to identify my strengths and weaknesses assisted me in becoming a better version of myself.
For instance, an area that I was genuinely struggling with even before my diagnosis was my self-esteem. Even though I considered myself worthy, deep down, I honestly did not believe it. I always struggled to see myself as a woman being loved and cared for. I thought I needed the validation of others in order to feel deserving. Yet, being diagnosed with colon cancer made me realize that I was already enough just being me. I grasped the knowledge that self-love was my best remedy.
By defeating and conquering colon cancer, I was able to tell my story from an optimistic outlook. I was able to rise to the occasion and come out of it that much stronger. It helped me grow physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Due to my diagnosis of colon cancer, I began to view my life with a sense of living. Every day, I thank God for giving me a second chance to do all the things that I love, especially spending time with my family. I am beyond grateful for seeing my nieces and nephews growing up and creating memories with them is definitely a blessing. To sum up, my diagnosis of colon cancer took a big toll on me, but I rose to the occasion with my head held high. Forever Blessed!!
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