It is safe to say that 2016 has not been the year I hoped it would be, and I'm not here to write more about politics or the outcome of the recent presidential election. My year started off strong as I entered the second half of my sophomore year of college with lots of plans and excitement looming towards my upcoming semester abroad, which was to take place during the first half of my junior year; I was planning on heading to Cape Town, South Africa.

My world turned upside down when, seemingly out of nowhere, I was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer at twenty years old. With minimal known family history and a healthy, active lifestyle, it seemed almost impossible that being diagnosed was reality; however, I unfortunately had to learn the hard way that life is extremely unpredictable and that I should never take my relationships, days and good health for granted.

Thanksgiving always comes at a good time. Usually, I'm at school and am reaching a point of exhaustion with countless exams and the winter months quickly approaching, but this year obviously was different. I've been home for many months, as I underwent treatments all summer and have been recovering from a surgery I had earlier in the fall. While being home right now is out of the ordinary, I've taken advantage of these moments with minimal opportunity and have been volunteering at an elementary school, a legal clinic and certainly have kept my mind stimulated through reading books, current events, short stories and more.

I've always been thankful for the opportunities I've been given that I understand are not universal and for my extremely supportive and loving family and friends, but this year's Thanksgiving was different because I, in all seriousness, had life itself to be thankful for. I'm thankful for knowing to go to the doctor when I did, because if I waited any longer my prognosis would've been much worse. I'm thankful to my university and former professors for being so understanding and helpful during this confusing time in my life. I'm thankful for my family members who each spent every day making sure I was as comfortable and happy as I could be given my situation. I'm thankful for the constant research and funding that is being done to support those currently fighting cancer, those who have fought the disease in the past, and those who have unfortunately lost their battles but never stopped fighting. Additionally, I'm thankful for my friends who were there for me to help bring light to even some of the darkest days.

While I've still only begun getting used to my new "normal," this holiday just served as a reminder to me of how great life is and how lucky I really am even after this experience. In the most unexpected way, I'm grateful for this experience I've had that not many others have had to go through. If anything, I've learned that I can get through anything from this point forward and that no matter how stressful or chaotic life may seem, I have this perspective that will remind me to breathe deep, relax and remember how thankful I really am. I believe in everything happening for a reason, and as I've always valued giving back to the community I want to use my experience and perspective to help others. I'm thankful for the new meaning Thanksgiving took on this year for me, and I look forward for all that is to come in the future.