10 Positive Changes Due to Cancer

What I’m about to say may seem illogical or even just plain wrong. But bear with me, I promise it will make sense. I was talking to a friend the other day and we got into a conversation about living with cancer. A member of their family was recently diagnosed with stomach cancer. As they knew about my experience with bladder cancer, they wanted to know what they could do to best support their loved one. After discussing the usual medical and treatment based topics, with an emphasis on making sure the decisions made were the right one for the patient and their lifestyle, I mentioned that there are also some positive things that we should make sure to focus on. This comment was not well received. In fact, my friend was offended that I could say such a thing.

In an exchange that rapidly became a little heated. They responded with this: “How can there be something positive from a cancer diagnosis?” Luckily, after going into detail about what I meant, they came around to my point of view. And this is something I think should be spoken about more often. Everyone knows cancer is an evil disease. Uncompromising and indiscriminate. In a perfect world, no one would experience this. But that’s the thing: the world isn't perfect.

Cancer can foster change

Yes, cancer has so many negative effects. If you’re reading this article, you will probably know all too well the effects of cancer on someone’s quality of life. It is all too easy to find oneself focusing on the bad parts of this disease. But what about the good parts? Now I’m not saying a cancer diagnosis is something to celebrate, that would be ridiculous. What I wanted to bring over to my friend is that it is not all negative. Maybe I could've phrased it better, who knows? But from my personal experience, I have found that cancer has brought some positive changes into my life and I think they should be spoken about more.

So here are my top 10 positives that came from a cancer diagnosis:

Strengthened Family Bonds: Witnessing how the cancer journey brought our family closer together, creating a new means of communication and a more open and honest environment is the best thing that came from cancer.
A Sense of Perspective: Via my mom’s diagnosis I gained a deeper appreciation and understanding of what truly matters.
Empathy and Compassion: I developed a heightened sense of empathy towards others with their own health challenges. To be perfectly honest, before my mom’s diagnosis, I could be a little insensitive to the problems of others. Now I realize how words and actions can have big effects for someone dealing with a cancer diagnosis. The phrase “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about” is so true. And now I am more aware of my actions and words than before cancer came into my life.
Celebrating Milestones: I learned to embrace each milestone achieved during the treatment process, no matter how small. This has transposed into my daily life and my outlook is now better and more optimistic because of this.
The Power of Resilience: Witnessing the strength and resilience of my mother has inspired me to face challenges in my own life with a renewed determination.
Moments of Laughter: Even during the darkest of days, we always found a way to laugh about something. Laughter is definitely good for the soul. I now know the healing power of humor and have developed the ability to find joy even amidst the most awful circumstances.
Community Support: I knew our family had a good group of people around it, but I never considered the lengths people we knew would go to in order to help us out. Watching this group rally around and offer unconditional support made me realize how lucky we are to know such wonderful people.
Emotional Growth: Learning to navigate and express emotions in a healthier way than before, all came from a cancer diagnosis.
Valuing Self-Care: I recognized the importance of self-care and taking the time to prioritize personal well-being amidst the caregiving role. This is something I think many caregivers will feel guilty for, but I learned this is necessary.
Appreciating Everyday Moments: Through cancer, I learned to appreciate the ordinary moments of life, recognizing their value and significance. Before cancer came into my life, I never really stopped to smell the flowers. Cancer gave me the gift of appreciation.

To be perfectly honest, of course I wish that cancer had never come into my life. But as I reflect on what cancer has taught me, I realize there are quite a lot of positives that have come from a horrible situation.