Kicking Cancer In The Toosh

Almost 35 years of walking around with a blindfold on, or living my life like an ostrich, my head buried in the ground. Blind to all the beauty life has to offer. How many falling stars had I missed? How many sunsets or sun rises had come and gone, without even one thought of them. Or even better, how many breaths have I taken freely without thinking of the true blessing it is to be able to do so?

My life, up till now, was a blur. Yes, I have a very full and happy life, I try to live it to the fullest, but at the same time, it was lived without the full recognition of the life I had. The health I had. I was always on the go, running errands, taking care of everyone else BUT me, and none of that mattered anymore.

Two months ago, I was told that I had cervical cancer. Coming from a long line of cancer survivors, this probably didn't scare me as much as it should have. Heck, I'm invincible, and I didn't have time to be slowed down by such nonsense. I had a life to live, a schedule to keep, work I couldn't abandon, kids that still needed attention. So cancer was not an option.

I simply did not have the time to take care of myself or slow down enough to take care of business. Then my daddy said something to me that slapped me hard across the face. He made a joke about how I was just like him in pretending there was nothing wrong with him. He is a leukemia survivor. And I remember the fights we had about him going to the doctor to take care of it. The tears I shed every single time I left his house out of frustration because he would not listen to a word anyone said about treatment. Stubborn old man! And I was JUST like him.

My kids would have to cry plead and beg for me to get healthy. My daddy finally caved and did the chemo, and by the grace of God, he is now in full remission. So, with the fear of being my daddy in the stubborn department, and the sadness my children would have to go through if I continued on this suicide path, I agreed to surgery. I also stand before you cancer free!

Of course there's always that risk that the cancer will return, but today I am free of it. And I gotta tell you, it feels good to be reborn!

Today I see the stars. I smell the grass. I taste every ingredient in food. I hear the sweet laughter from children. I smile when a driver in front of me is too slow. I thank God for the flowers, the clouds, the traffic, and for the vision to see all of them.

It's hard to explain how much different life is for me. I'm living life the same exact way I was before surgery, only this time, I'm living it with my eyes wide open. I hug a little longer, chit chat with my family more often, I say hello to strangers, and I make sure to pay it forward as often as I can. So, my daddy may be the stubborn cranky old man that drove us nuts for the three years before he decided to seek treatment, but he also saved my life. I couldn't and wouldn't be that stubborn. And it only took for him to make me see that I was. No way! Not anymore!

To the cancer survivors, which includes my daddy, my niece Mikayla, and now myself ... Let's do this! Let's kick cancer's toosh and show them that we survived for all of those that lost the battle. That our second chance at life is not going in vain. Each day is definitely our gift, and kicking cancer's rear is only the first step to our beautiful stories! My love and respect to those who have survived, and my sympathy to those families of those who lost the battle.