A Different Role

Photo by Andisheh A on Unsplash

Some people wonder why I am still hanging out in “Cancerland.” More than twenty years have passed since my first trek into this place, and more than two years since my second. Why not just be thankful that it’s over and move on?

With a cancer diagnosis you join a community of which you did not choose to be a part. As with any community, each individual’s involvement varies. In this one, there are not required meetings and no one is marking your participation in an attendance log. Over time our personal involvement may ebb and flow. Following my first diagnosis and treatment, I was ready to leave the experience behind me.

This time around, I find myself in a different role. The encounter I wrote about in last week’s posting actually happened. My presence at the event - just standing there with the others who had seen many years since their own diagnoses - was an encouragement to those who were just starting on this path. If I can help someone by just showing up in the right place at the right time, I will choose to continue to interact with the community - my community - to be an encouraging face, to give an encouraging word to those who need it.

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