Having a community of people who knew exactly what I was saying about my symptoms and did not try to comfort me with toxic positivity was what meant the most to me.
I know you want to give me the advice you’d give anyone else – to slow down, be mindful, plan, save, and focus on healing. I don’t want to hear that. I want you to recognize that I am grieving and moving forward all at once because I have no choice.
I was diagnosed at the age of 28. At the time of my diagnosis, my husband and I had only been dating a little over a year. There is nothing that could have prepared us for a cancer diagnosis. We went from figuring out what the future had in store to being forced to deal with the realities of our “right now.”
“You hear these inspirational stories and you know, people talk about my mate did this, that and the third. But you know, I know I wasn’t expecting some kind of magical happy ending. I just wanted you to live, that’s all, and I was going to do whatever I could to have that happen.” – Jason (Sincere529)
The most challenging part of being a caretaker is being a neglectful caretaker of your own mental and physical being; if you are not emotionally capable yourself, you are incapable of fully taking care of someone else.
It was my time to lean on the very same people who depended on me. In my head, there was no way that everyone wasn’t going to be there and support me in any way they could. However, that is not what happened.
Shame has been used to control the minds and bodies of Black, Indigenous, and all People of Color since colonization. It has been passed from one generation to another in many different ways…Life is too short and too difficult to carry around the extra baggage that comes from shame.
One thing to keep in mind is that protecting one’s peace is going to look different for everyone! What is important is that you find something that works for YOU.
Your journey is tailormade for you; every twist and turn was strategically placed to build endurance, stretch your faith and move you closer to your goal.
They are outspoken, intelligent, independent, unapologetically themselves, and strong… but what does “strong” mean anyway?
