Finding Strength in 2020
- Due to the pandemic, 2020 has been a trying year, but keeping perspective can help.
- Six inspirational cancer survivors share with SurvivorNet how their mindset helped them overcome cancer.
- Keeping a healthy perspective and postive mindset may make the cancer journey easier.
“When the world is in turmoil and you can't control what's happening around you, focus on controlling your reaction to what's happening around you. That's where your power is.” Lindsay Hawker
Annie Tolentino, an Ovarian Cancer Survivor With a Strong Faith
Read MoreTeri Chow, an Ovarian Cancer Survivor Who Loves to Laugh
Teri Chow encourages others to look at their blessings, as well as their attitude. She tells SurvivorNet, “Is the glass half full? Are you optimistic? Do good things happen to good people? How we view the world is often how we view people. Perhaps if we are kind to others, they will see kindness in the world. I believe in Paying it Forward. Don’t look at everything with the lense of “will this benefit me”, but with how can I help others.”“The mental game is as strong as any medicine out there!”
“In the end,” says Chow, “You will feel better about yourself, your life, and the world we live in. Staying Positive and these mantras were what helped me stay positive and happy through my cancer journey; and I try to convince everyone around me the mental game is as strong as any medicine out there!”
How Ovarian Cancer Survivor Teri Chow's Wig (& Humor) Helped Her Cope With Hair Loss
Jonathan “JD” Daige, a Testicular Cancer Survivor Who Served in Iraq
Jonathan “JD” Daige served two tours in Iraq, and he knows how to persevere in the midst of hardship and uncertainty. Daige tells SurvivorNet the importance of keeping perspective: “One thing I've learned is that someone else always has it worse than you do. I understood what this meant when I was deployed to Iraq with the Army in 2003. We had some rough times there but intel reports would inform our unit of other battles going on and some soldiers were fighting in hand to hand combat in Baghdad. Once I heard that my major problems became minuscule.”
“I never felt sorry for myself when I had a diagnosis.”
Daige says that his outlook came in handy when it came to cancer. “This mindset also helped me with my battle with cancer. I never felt sorry for myself when I had a diagnosis. I always told myself "Someone else is fighting a battle harder than the one I'm fighting right now." Saying this keeps things in perspective. If you've ever been cold or hungry there's always someone who's been colder or hungrier than you. It pushes you to keep moving forward and that's all you can do, worry about what's ahead of you. We each are granted one life to live. It's too easy to get caught up in the everyday grind. Remember that we can only control what WE do while we are on this earth. Don't get caught in the cloud. Be the light. For yourself, but also for someone else.”
Survivor Jonathan “JD” Daige’s Testicular Cancer Story
Carole Motycka is a Colon Cancer & Liver Transplant Survivor
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Carole Motycka knows the power that can come from feeling all of your feelings including fear. “For me, finding positivity means fully embracing the idea of being afraid. It’s ok to be afraid, I am afraid often. Truly finding positive means accepting fear but not staying there because continuing to focus on anger or hate, and being afraid, drives fear. And fear leads to helpless feelings, spaces, and places. Focusing on hope heals my anxieties. For me, that means it makes present moments easier to bear.”
“Remain in a miserable place or motivate yourself, and find gratefulness and gratitude.”
Motycka is also a big proponent of being grateful. She says, “Faith drives hope, hope drives life. I repeat this to myself often as I work daily on gratitude for simple things. We all are in the driver’s seat and have choices that we CAN control. One of these choices is to remain in a miserable place or motivate yourself, and find gratefulness and gratitude for both the challenging and the beautiful parts of the journey.”
Lindsay Hawker is a Breast Cancer Survivor
Breast cancer survivor and runner, Lindsay Hawker, tells SurvivorNet, “When the world is in turmoil and you can't control what's happening around you, focus on controlling your reaction to what's happening around you. That's where your power is. Because when you focus on the good the good increases.”
Lindsay Hawker’s Cancer Story
Dr. Beverly Zavaleta is a Breast Cancer Survivor & Author of Braving Chemo
Dr. Zavaleta is a role model if ever there were one she turned her struggle into service, by writing a book about chemotherapy. “I felt hopeless many times when I was going through cancer treatment. I found that the way through this hopelessness wasn't to stuff down my fear and sadness, but to look at my feelings, to feel them fully and let them run their course. Once I did this, I could feel hope in my heart again and I could get back doing what matters. During cancer, what mattered most was going to treatment and taking care of myself.”
“During cancer, what mattered most was going to treatment and taking care of myself.”
Dr. Zavaleta reminds us that we’re all in this together. She says, “Currently, as we are facing the COVID-19 pandemic, racism and political strife, I similarly feel that taking care of each other is of paramount importance and we all could use some help rekindling hope. I encourage everyone to bravely acknowledge all of their feelings, especially the dark and scary ones, and to let these emotions run their course. We don't have to feel happy or positive all the time but we can find hope and get back to doing what matters.”
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