The one thing I hear is the idea that having cancer changes your outlook on life. One of the first letters we received from a friend when I got my diagnosis of breast cancer contained such sentiment. We were all, not yet 40, with small children, careers, stability finally just beginning to take hold. This friend, too, was a young cancer survivor. It was difficult to accept in the moment as we both read the words of the terrible journey about to arrive. Words meant to offer a taste of reality and encouragement. "I bet you and your wife look at life differently now", he wrote. Maybe that's true now. Back then, I had no idea what he really meant. I am now a part of a club I never wanted to join. Saying the words "cancer survivor" does not yet easily roll off my tongue. When it comes at a time in life when you are just getting started, it is especially isolating as an identity. I felt side swiped. I had a short career. I had young children just starting school. Being thirty something, … [Read more...]