Most people have heard of the exclusive and instantly activated cancer card, but no one ever mentions an expiration date. I assume that most people stop using their card at some point, but I'm just as certain that there are people out there who will use it indefinitely. After five years, when we get the “all clear” from our doctors, we are released from the chokehold that cancer can have on us. We become survivors, leave cancer behind, and move on with our lives. It's reasonable to think that most cancer cards would expire soon after that. I’m grateful and fortunate to have reached the five-year remission hallmark, however, my card was terminated long before that.
Getting the cancer diagnosis is very difficult. In the matter of one day, life …show more content…
I was once a diligent keeper of a perfect, uninterrupted schedule, who had recently sprouted wings of spontaneity, so I went alone. I was waiting in line at the box office and overheard a conversation between a small, thin older woman, and her equally sized, but healthier looking friend. Without shame, I started to eavesdrop, because much like stopping to smell the roses, I now allow myself to enjoy the extraordinarily multifaceted human experience. It’s similar to being nosy, but eavesdropping comfortably is on the cancer card conveniences list. As the line moved forward, the women turned the corner at the velvet rope and the woman speaking was facing me. She was giving details of an unfortunate medical situation she had been through, while the friend cupped her hand to her mouth, catching her mini gasps of shock. As the monologue climaxed to the worst-of-the-worst of her hospitalization, I held back my own gasp, when I immediately recognized the look on her face. It was an exaggerated version of my smile in the mirror at the coffee shop. In that instant, observing someone else tell their tale-of-woe with that smile on their face, forced me to understand what it meant. She was waiting for the compensation that comes from another person’s sympathy. It’s exactly what I was doing all along. I was sharing my cancer experience to get the affectionate response that made me feel loved and cared
Getting the cancer diagnosis is very difficult. In the matter of one day, life …show more content…
I was once a diligent keeper of a perfect, uninterrupted schedule, who had recently sprouted wings of spontaneity, so I went alone. I was waiting in line at the box office and overheard a conversation between a small, thin older woman, and her equally sized, but healthier looking friend. Without shame, I started to eavesdrop, because much like stopping to smell the roses, I now allow myself to enjoy the extraordinarily multifaceted human experience. It’s similar to being nosy, but eavesdropping comfortably is on the cancer card conveniences list. As the line moved forward, the women turned the corner at the velvet rope and the woman speaking was facing me. She was giving details of an unfortunate medical situation she had been through, while the friend cupped her hand to her mouth, catching her mini gasps of shock. As the monologue climaxed to the worst-of-the-worst of her hospitalization, I held back my own gasp, when I immediately recognized the look on her face. It was an exaggerated version of my smile in the mirror at the coffee shop. In that instant, observing someone else tell their tale-of-woe with that smile on their face, forced me to understand what it meant. She was waiting for the compensation that comes from another person’s sympathy. It’s exactly what I was doing all along. I was sharing my cancer experience to get the affectionate response that made me feel loved and cared