Stand Up To Cancer

Well, for me, there is an easy answer. I stand up to cancer for not only myself as a young metastatic cancer survivor, but for my peers who are also in the battle of their life, and especially for those who did not survive.

I have been blessed. After being given one year to live, I have passed my "expiration date" and am now heading towards my three year marker of kicking the shit out of cancer so it doesn't have a voice in my body. I have been lucky. Some of my friends have not.

During the past two years, I have unfortunately been a witness to several of my young girlfriends heartbreaking end. Some died slowly. Others... it happened so fast. First, there was Marcela. She died from breast cancer within 10 months after being diagnosed. She was only 31. Then, after a long two-year suffering battle (breast cancer again), Kim died. She was only 34. The most devastating loss for me personally, just because she was one of my best friends, was the loss of Michele. Michele had a nasty battle with leukemia. She fought so long and so hard to stay alive. I was always enamored by her strength (aka: FUCK CANCER attitude), her resilience to keep bouncing back after docs told her she would not, and her deep, unconditional love she expressed for her family and friends. She embodied grace and gratitude. Right up until the very end. She was only 34.

I could go on and on about all the young survivors who lost their precious lives to a cancer diagnosis. It is a shame there are so many to remember. But, I feel it is our job to remember them, all of them, young and old, and honor the lives they once lived by sharing their stories. Hopefully, the more we talk about it, the more lives that can be saved. Word of mouth is very powerful. It is one of the most effective marketing tools. Everyone has a story to tell. It is how we learn. By sharing. So at the end of the day, that person goes home to tell their partner, their spouse, their family and/or friends what they learned as probably the most educational lessons of the day.

Like I said before, I stand up to cancer for myself, for Marcela, Kim and Michele, and for all others who have had to endure the ugliness of this devastating disease. I for one am tired of seeing my friends suffer and die miserable deaths, basically having little quality of life. Examples of low quality of life for us younger patients/survivors are infertility, early menopause, side effects from menopause, scarring from surgeries, being single, no insurance, more aggressive cancers, lower chance of surviving, and, if we do we have many more years, enduring reoccurrences, treatments and side effects. Oops! Did I forget anything?? Where is the quality of life in all that? Well, it is what we make of it. It is our choice to wake up every day after being dealt a "dirty hand" believing that we can prevail and move forward in the most positive light possible. Even though it's normal and oayk to have your moments of "pissed off-ness," sadness, etc., the important thing is to feel it, express it and not deny it and then... GET OVER IT! Hopefully, by taking your mind back to a positive place and living in that every day (GRATITUDE) you will have survived a longer, more rewarding life that others will have been honored to be a part of. This is my wish. For all of us.

Thank you to all of the courageous warriors who have fought this disease and to the co-survivors who have had to put up with us because that, my friends, is one the most challenging jobs/roles.

I would love to know more of your stories if you feel inclined to share and welcome your comments.

Thank you for your valued time reading my blog. It is deeply appreciated.

Stefanie LaRue - www.myspace.com/cancerwarrior