Turning Points and Transitions
Turning points and transitions are always with us. Some are hard. Recently I learned of young Adrienne’s death. A young mom, she died of metastatic breast cancer that caused her liver to fail. Gone — and all too soon.
Some are joy-filled.I had lunch last week with my friend Jen who recently had her second child. Four years ago, I wrote her story for my book — afraid that cancer was going to take her life. But it did not. For four years we attended off-and-on-again chemo and wrote our stories. And then her scans began to be clear. Consistently. We began to laugh and dance. We began to believe she could leave cancer behind. She did! Recently she gave birth to her daughter Noelle.
Some turning points present huge challenges. In her new journey, Jen continues to face ongoing scans, and these scans capture new spots. While cancer free, she is a chronic sufferer of sarcoidosis, an immunological disease. While her daughter is a blessing, she also keeps Jen up many nights with hunger and teething.
But in leaving cancer behind, the biggest quandary Jen has faced is how to redefine herself. No easy task. When she had cancer, Jen became a passionate advocate for both patients and cancer research. Now that she is cancer-free she questions if it is legitimate for her to continue down this road. For those of us who know her — we believe she is authentic and legitimate in all she does. Slowly she marches forward, continuing to care about and advocate for cancer causes. While faced with ongoing challenges (we all are), Jen remains — and I remain — grateful that she can continue with the wonderful challenge of deciding who she will be now.
Her writing helps with this turn in her road. She chronicles her struggles in her blog, Booby and Beast http://www.boobyandthebeast.com/. Reflecting about your turning points by writing about them is one of the least expensive and most helpful strategies to improve our lives. Remember — writing about our difficulties can reduce stress, strengthen an immune system, reduce blood pressure, and lower symptoms of PTSD and depression. Overall it can improve our health.
These are only a few of the reasons I write, and I hope you will, too.
