My cancer journey has been a journey of tears, and many times a journey of fears. The road along the way has been challenging, as I found myself navigating over potholes and rough edges. It has been a positive journey in so many
ways as well. A 10% or 20% rate of survival is not zero percent, so there is always hope. I was given the worst prognosis with a zero percent chance of surviving but I continued to handle the things that came my way. I am four and a half years on with no progression so far. I am not battling or fighting this disease as I have chosen to heal, recover and survive this journey.
No TV news programs for me, just programs that make me feel good. We are not traveling in reverse but moving forward on a cloud of hopes and dreams. I have taught myself to be a cancer survivor and I have learned to thrive and survive through positive affirmations, positive visualizations, and laughter.
Along the way one of my clinicians told me, “Get your hands dirty, be in touch with the earth”, so I planted a small vegetable garden, that still delights me today. “Take up pottery and submerge your fingers in play dough it’s all good for the senses”, he confirmed. So, I took up pottery until the back seat of my car was piled high with failed pottery pieces wrapped in newspaper. It was a lot more difficult than I had imagined but I persevered.
Eventually, a few pieces emerged from the kiln that looked half respectable. They were given to any unsuspecting victim who was having a birthday! No news programs for me any longer, just programs that make me feel good. Each night before we go to bed Ollie our toy poodle sits like an Egyptian Sphinx at the end of our bed waiting for me to put Escape to The Country on. The vistas of the English countryside are always a delight to watch and are calming.
On one of my hospital visits when I was lying in a hospital bed late at night, cold, alone, and feeling miserable, a nurse entered my room and asked if I would like a warm blanket placed over me. Yes, Cabrini Hospital in Melbourne has warm blankets! That warm blanket was so welcoming and comforting. Now and then when my thoughts get the better of me and I find myself having a blue day, I rest, then visualize the universe wrapping a warm blanket around me to comfort and heal me. This disease is tenacious but don’t let it define who you are as a person because you are more than that and can in time offer hope to others.
Be inspirational with your thoughts and may the universe heal and guide us through the rest of our cancer journey together.
Philomena is a member of the Sydney Support Group.
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