“Thank you”

I am extremely thankful for the amazing support and the generosity of love shared by my family, friends, co-workers, and even strangers.  It is truly amazing how we have the ability to lift someone up when they are down, make someone laugh when they need to, and help put someone back on track if they stumble.  I cannot say thank you enough, and I hope you all know how much you mean to me, and how appreciative I am.
              
         “Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget”
                                                                                                    - G. Randolph

When I was first diagnosed, my grandma sent me a link to Young Adult Cancer Canada (YACC) -(http://www.youngadultcancer.ca/ ).  It is an amazing site whose mission is to build a community of young adults diagnosed with cancer and provide them with information, support, skills, and opportunity. Through the help of the YACC I met a great friend who had recently been through a similar situation as me.  We sent many e-mails and even had the opportunity to meet.  It was very helpful for me to be able to talk to someone who understood what I was experiencing and who shared similar feelings…my mentor.   Recently I had the opportunity to pay it forward when I was contacted by someone who had viewed my profile.  I have made two great new friends who I share a strong bond with.  Even though we live miles away, we will always have a story to share.

There is another friend I met throughout this experience…one of my best friends…my boyfriend.  I became depressed after becoming diagnosed, and felt that I was damaged…who would want to be with me?  I know the idea is to stay positive and look for the “great opportunities brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems…”, but I wasn’t there yet.  I felt like I lost a part of my identity, and part of my dreams.  But, I was wrong…and I don’t admit that often.  I met Zack.  He told me I was more important than any of those other things, and that I was perfect.  Even though my friends and family told me over and over again that I was wrong, and they hurt knowing how I felt, I hadn’t started to believe it myself yet.  But now, I am believing.