Monday, June 11, 2012

Celebrating my year of Remission

It's been a whole year that this girl has been in REMISSION!

At the 2012 Relay for Life
One year down, four more to go and I'll be cured from cancer :)
I really can't find a better way to celebrate my year free of cancer than going to Relay for Life.  How crazy is it that literally a year ago to the day I found out I was in remission and now I get to celebrate it at an event like this?!?!
Last year I had an awesome team and supporters that brought some tears to my eyes as I walked that survivor's lap this year and remembered how they gave so much to help me give back.  I then remembered how the tornado pretty much leveled our site and how we were all huddled in the agriculture building praying it wouldn't be ripped apart. :)  But it was still my very first Relay I ever attended and will now be a wonderful tradition that I hope I can continue to attend.  It was a big part of my cancer story.  Sometimes I wonder if my cancer story really matters, why I put a year of my life in such detailed writing and continue updates every now and then.  But after I read this from someone else's cancer story, it made me understand why I did it...


You must realize that just as virtually every person in the world is a unique individual, no two people given the same diagnosis will have exactly the same treatment, even from the same doctor.  Nor will their outcomes be the same.  So if your aunt or your sister, your mom or your neighbor had breast cancer, her story will be far different from mine....So why should another story be told? Because each one is unique and when the battle is won against the odds, the telling of it may give one other person the courage to face their own battle.'

So my story, my survival story, was told through a blog called The Pursuit and continued on to show that I'm not taking this life for granted.  I feel like I am able to wrap up this first year in remission and head forward with new goals.  I did a lot this past year...I tested my leadership abilities, traveled the country and beyond like crazy, encouraged my inner fine arts, unleashed my healthy beast within, tackled my health challenges head on, and challenged myself in ways I wouldn't think were possible...but like it says is true, God will never give you what you can't handle.  I've found that through different struggles this past year that time heals all wounds, prayers works in ways we might not see in the moment, and making a vow 'in sickness and in health' still holds true in health.  I'm glad that through the significant times in my life, like those with cancer, the first thing I leaned on way my faith...and that I am still leaning on that through the 'typical days'.  Through everything, I continue to try to deepen my understanding of God's unconditional love for me and continue to actively listen for what it is God has planned for me :)
Another little thing that puts this year into perspective (and hopefully the years ahead!) is a short conversation I had with my parents at my nephew's t-ball game.  I told them that I have a pretty amazing opportunity that could be coming up next summer, and when I explained it to my dad he said 'Why? The person over there isn't going to come up and ask you if you've ever done this, so why?' (side note: my Dad is completely supportive as you all know, he just likes to see the whole picture and this question was perfect :)  And my answer to his question was this simple...'It's not for them dad, it's for me.'  I've learned this last year that when you start living your life for you, you will find so much more satisfaction and contentment in this crazy world.  Cancer helped me to be more of that person.  So I look forward to this next year...may it be filled with challenges that will teach me new insights, happiness like I've never experienced before, and those quiet moments at the end of the day to thank God for another day to LIVE.

2 comments:

  1. Your Pursuit invites us all to be better, stronger, happier, more grateful people. Thanks for sharing your life with us. I'm so grateful to have been included. Enjoy it all! Love you....& looking forward to next year's update and the annual updates until you reach the cured milestone! Congratulations, my friend, on year number 1! Woohooooo!

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  2. Congratulations Laura. I am soooo happy for you and your family as well. Your optimism continues to be an inspiration.

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