Glittering a Turd: How surviving the unsurvivable taught me to live

by Kris Hallenga

By and large, the more you are and stay in control of your own destiny, the better you will do. This approach may weaken the hospital staff’s sense of omnipotence but before you allow people to play God with you, make sure they have the qualifications!

Lastly, healing never stops and that is actually great. We are conditioned to believe in, and want easily achieved gains, instant gratification and the ability to return to ‘normal’ after a burst of effort. But it doesn’t work that way. The best thing you can hope for is a love affair with your healing journey. For it to be so fun, enjoyable and explorative that you don’t even want to return to what once was. Cancer has shattered you, but also rebuilt you. That transformation might mean you do not fit in the same old conversations or relationships or thoughts or life any more. Maybe it really never has been about a cure; maybe what we should all be striving for is to be healed.

Let me hear you say this out loud (or in your head is cool too): I am worthy of surviving cancer (or substitute with any brand of turd if not applicable). I am worthy of hope. I am worthy of success, joy, love and laughter, with or without offspring. With or without cancer. PS. Support charities even when they’re not crying for help.

You will no longer need to see proof that people live with cancer for a long time because you become the proof.