I know what you’re thinking, how can someone be thankful for someone else’s cancer diagnosis, but just let me explain. There are not enough words in any language to describe how horrible cancer is. It turns every aspect of life around.
It has a physical and emotional strain on the patient, as well as their family and friends. There are so many reasons to shut down and focus only on the negative aspects, but I’d like to focus on some of the positive things that come when your loved one is diagnosed with cancer.
1. It made me put my life into perspective.
Okay, so I know this is super cliché, but when something like cancer comes around, the way you view life is totally changed. The fact that my sister ate the left over fried rice I was saving for lunch no longer seems like the end of the world. I had way too many other things going on to stress about the little things.
2. My family got super close.
A lot of times, you hear horrible stories about how cancer has, unfortunately, torn families apart. I was extremely lucky to not have that happen. My parents never once tried to hide anything that was going on from us. We were always welcomed to ask questions and discuss my mother’s sickness. I think the fact that we were all open books really brought us together.
3. I finally got to put my "Grey's Anatomy" knowledge to use.
In the grand scheme of things, this is totally is not the reason to be thankful for a horrible disease, but it was a source of comfort to me during this time. Hearing doctors and nurses talk about different medical procedures or human body parts and actually knowing what they were talking about made me feel really smart, and like I was on an episode of "Grey’s."
4. I became more concerned about my own health.
I will be the first one to admit that I am not necessarily the healthiest person. I genuinely hate working out and would rather eat pizza for every meal than a salad. Being a teenager, I really was never too concerned about my future health; all I cared about was if someone was going to ask me to prom. But as soon as my mom got sick, I immediately changed and took control of my health.
5. I learned that I have an amazing support system.
I always knew I had awesome friends and an amazing family, but I don’t think I ever knew to what extent. My aunts and uncles made sure my sisters and I were always okay and taken care of. My friends helped me out whenever I needed to help out with my sisters and would let me ugly cry to them whenever I needed. Being surrounded by so much love was absolutely incredible, and I don’t think I can ever thank all of these people for being there during the time I needed them the most.
