Guest post: Punxsutawney Phil: The Tumor That Changed My Life

As a cancer survivor myself, I remember the sense of shock and dismay I felt when I received the diagnosis at age 23. As a 30+ year survivor, I've learned, as my guest did, that there is reason for hope. And, as Heather did, I found that a cancer diagnosis can be a blessing in disguise.

Read her story, and be sure to visit her blog; the url is listed below.

If there is one word that friends, family, or even acquaintances would use to describe me, it is optimistic. While some may think that seeing the world through rose colored glasses or picturing the glass as half full is a childish, unrealistic way to go about life, this optimism has, quite literally, saved my life.

On November 21, 2005, a little over three months after I gave birth to my beautiful baby girl, I was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma; cancer. During a time in my life where the absolute joy of becoming a mother had consumed me, the last words I ever expected to hear from my doctor were “you have cancer”.  Yet once said I knew that I had two choices.

I could curse God and drown myself in self-pity, letting my entire life, no matter how short, slip by me as I asked “Why me?” Or, I could fight this disease with everything I had in me. And you know what? The idea of not being able to raise my baby was enough to force me to dig down deep and find that inherent optimism that I’ve had my entire life. It was enough to push me to fight.

You’ve probably heard about the awfulness of cancer. And honestly, it’s all true. However, it can also be a blessing in disguise. Cancer completely changed my life for the better, even if it didn’t seem like it in the thick of things. I honestly believe that this is because I made the conscious decision not to be a victim. I worked daily to find my sense of humor, and vowed that I wanted to help others who received this terrible diagnosis as well. Hope is one of the first things to go when cancer enters the picture, and I worked furiously to hold onto it and to try to help others do so as well.

I worked with the world’s leading mesothelioma doctor who, in 2006, recommended surgery to remove the tumor. When I found out that the procedure was going to take place on Groundhogs day, my tumor earned the nickname Punxsutawney Phil, and the day itself was knighted Lungleavin’ Day. Every year since then, my family and I have a party to celebrate the day I lost one of my lungs. We celebrate life as well as conquering fear.

The turn that my life has taken, and the definitive purpose that I now possess, were worth every stumble and fall on the way to this place. All I want to do now is raise my little girl and give others the hope that they need to fight. 

To read more of Heather's experience, strength, and hope, visit her blog.