This is how I found out I missed it, by reading a blog post this morning by
"my half-glassed life". This is her post:
Sunday, June 7, 2009
"Happy National Cancer Survivors Day (yes, this means you!)
Today is National Cancer Survivors Day.What's that you say? You didn't get your Cancer Cards out on time? You don't know any Cancer Carols? You didn't hang your Cancer Stocking last night or find gifts under your Cancer Tree this morning?
'Fess up. You didn't know it was National Cancer Survivors Day. Neither did I.
You probably don't think it applies to you, either. Neither did I.
We were both wrong.
"The National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation defines a 'survivor' as anyone living with a history of cancer -- from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life."
If you are one of the millions of people who has ever heard the "C" word as a label for anything growing on or in your body, I hate to burst your bubble, but it needs to be done: You. Are. A. Cancer. Survivor.
And if you're someone who actually uses the phrase the "C" word, you probably also think there's cancer and cancer.
Cancer is cancer is cancer.
Stick with me, please. Because while it is simple, I am not naive enough to think it is that simple. Cancer is a complex animal with many levels of invasion, treatment and survival. Hell, why else do all those terms stage, grade, spread, size and myriad other qualifiers exist? The depths of that, though, are a topic for another day.
Today, cancer is cancer is cancer.
Cancer is learning about that funky mole you just had scooped out. Cancer is learning that those funky cells somewhere inside you need to be removed before they grow. Cancer is learning that the funky pain that won't go away isn't going to go away.
A survivor starts paying attention and isn't scared to have tests. A survivor isn't afraid to have surgery that removes vulnerable tissues or organs. A survivor accepts that life as it once was will never be again, but there is still life.
Survivors talk about cancer.
And that's how we live with it."
So let's all celebrate! We'll celebrate with prayers for those who will find out today that the big "C" has come into their lives. We'll pray for their strength, we'll pray for their loved ones, and we'll pray that they too will be survivors.
Tonight I watched Phil Mickelson talk about his wife Amy and her recent breast cancer diagnosis. It was very moving. It's a scary time for them. please keep them in your prayers. She'll start treatment the first week of July.
I celebrate by living my life everyday, one day at a time.
