Limbo is generally defined as a period of time, unmeasured and unknown, awaiting an important impactful decision, which could be seen as a state of "being in the middle."

As a cancer patient, many experience this state in between states of remission, treatment, and all the painful stages of this terrible disease.

I am alive today, about to enter the 20th year of my life, embarking on new adventures, responsibilities, and of course, the stress that comes with that. That's not to mention, of course, the burden of my disease that I will have to carry with me.

Declared in remission as of now, yet still being told that my scans showed signs of cancerous activity is strange. The area indicated by radioactive sugar and contrast is so small, yet causing high uncertainty, cautiousness, and fear.

"Living in limbo" is what I call my current state.

We all often look at the future to our presupposed positions in life and see the long road we’ve got ahead. All of us experience a state of limbo, whether it is being in college, or looking ahead to a promotion, or living in a temporary house for instance. All our lives, we are told not to settle for the ordinary, not to settle for mediocrity, and shoot for the stars, as they say.

Why is it that we are told to always work harder for what’s beyond our reach, for what exceeds our grasp? Why aren’t we told how to be content, yet ambitious? Happy and grateful, yet hardworking?

I am a cancer patient in limbo, but extremely content with how far I've come, even if I might not exactly feel that way all the time.

I have gone through countless examinations, consumed infinite numbers of different medication, cycles of chemotherapy - an extremely toxic regimen - and emotional and physical pain that I am proud to have overcome.

I am on the verge of completing my first year of college, despite hardships not included in this short reflection, but I am content for I am alive. Being an optimistic person or even thinking positively for some time should not be translated to taking the easy road or the shortcut.

It is more difficult to not let the lurking shadows of life become the only light we see rather than enabling them by default to become those sources of light. It is more difficult to cast those shadows to the side and try not to acknowledge their overgrowing presence, but it is also extremely rewarding and life-changing.

Had I let my disease define myself and my experiences, I would not be writing articles. I would not be pursuing the degree of my dreams. I certainly would not have realized that ambition and intellect have no limits but the ones we set for ourselves.

I have come to the realization that sick or healthy, living in limbo is an experience shared by all, and one not to be ashamed or spiteful of, but one to naturalize and embrace, making it the silver lining we hold on to for greater aspirations.