Julie, a survivor’s story
I have just been reading some of the inspiring stories on the Voices of Survivors website and was particularly struck by Julie Blackman’s story. It resonated with me because she was diagnosed with breast cancer at an age pretty similar to mine and like me she “always had this belief that things like breast cancer didn’t happen to women under the age of 40″. I foolishly thought the same thing.
She continues ” I was so wrong. It wasn’t until I worked for a bra store that I started hearing more statistics on this. No one wants to hear their doctor say those words: “You have cancer”. I learned so much about having cancer at 36. I learned things that I did wrong and things that I did right. A few famous words that I can recite are: “You are your own advocate”. What the statement means to me is only you know how you feel. Things can happen to you that you may question; it could be a lump or a bad pain. When you realize that something might be wrong and feels different in your body than it should, that is the time to get yourself checked out. If you don’t like what the first doctor says, you can always get a second opinion.”
In summing up the lessons Julie has learned from cancer she says:
“Having cancer has made a huge impact in my life. I know what being a survivor means to me. Being a survivor is so much more than beating cancer, it’s how you feel inside and what you gain from that experience…. Dealing with all those harsh treatments is not easy. I feel lucky that I saved my own life when I found the lump at an early stage. I feel lucky to be alive to enjoy all of the greatness that life has to offer. Being a survivor makes me want to help others. I am going to look at life differently from now on. I am going to enjoy doing more things, like taking a walk in the park. I am going to find more ways to heal my body and soul. I am going to take one day at a time. I am going to keep up with my follow-up tests and appointments. I just feel so alive inside. I know now that I can put the word ‘Survivor’ to its true meaning and context.”
You can read Julie’s story, along with other cancer survivors, at the Voices of Survivors website.
