A woman walks confidently over her written letter into the sunrise.

Thank You, Cancer!

Dear Cancer,

It may seem strange that I am writing to you again, especially since the last time I was broken-hearted, emotional, and depressed. This time it is different. This time, I want to thank you!

Noticing the simple joys in life

You see, you have opened up my eyes to the important things in life. My family, my devoted dog Sherlock, and the simpler things. Watching my grandson beam with happiness - that makes my heart melt. The sunshine - just how amazing is the sunshine? A warm ball of happiness. Everything seems better when the sun shines; it is just usually we all are too busy to notice it. Thank you.

Reevaluating my priorities

My life has gone from a whirlwind to a much slower pace of life. You have stripped me bare of my material and selfish ways (well, some of them). You have given me a huge wake-up call.  You have made me reassess everything that I had and believed in, in my life. Thank you!

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Finding my voice and my purpose

Bad things do happen, even to nice people. I used to wonder what I had done to deserve you; that played in my mind for hours, days, and months. Then, I realized that you gave me a voice, a pretty strong one at that, and you gave me a purpose, something which I was lacking before my life with bladder cancer. Thank you!

Gratitude

You made me see that changing how I looked at things would help my mind cope with everything else. I'm not saying that I wasn't positive before, I just feel that now the positivity is more genuine. It's the smaller things that I am grateful for. Thank you!

The strength I've gained

And guess what? You haven't broken me, destroyed me, or hurt me. You have helped me to grow, AND you have made me stronger than I ever thought was possible. I have strength. I am strong. Thank you!

Hope

I never realized just important it is to always have hope. Hope for the here and now, and hope for the future. Finally, it is getting easier living with you. I don't feel that I am constantly looking over my shoulder, trying to see if you are lurking there. I have hope. I am hopeful. Thank you!

Moving forward

Cancer, you are an evil, disgusting disease, and you can take away whatever you want in a moment, without hesitation, leaving behind you a mass of emotional destruction and heartbreak. And yes, there are still challenges ahead, I'm sure, for all of us...but we are STRONG, POSITIVE, GRATEFUL AND HOPEFUL!

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The BladderCancer.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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