t would be unrealistic to suggest that one is ever completely free of the shadow of cancer – after all, shadows are the direct result of light.
BY Mike Verano
PUBLISHED January 16, 2019
Mike Verano is a licensed professional counselor, licensed marriage and family therapist and thymic cancer survivor with over 30 years experience in the mental health field. Mike has had articles published in national and international magazines and is the author of The Zen of Cancer: A Mindful Journey From Illness to Wellness. In addition, he maintains the blog, Confessions of a Pacifist in the War on Cancer. He and his wife, Kathy, live in Lanexa, Virginia.
Once cancer enters our lives, the aging process takes on a whole new meaning. While it's true that each passing year marks another triumph of survivorship, it's also true that the remnants of our cancer journeys can be felt deep in aging bones.
One often hears survivors of serious illnesses say that they would not let their illnesses define them. While the sentiment expressed can be emotionally uplifting, the reality is that our illnesses do define us in the same way that we are shaped by all of our experiences. The good news is that while our cancer diagnoses are handed to us, we have the ultimate hand in molding our new selves through our thoughts, attitudes and actions.
One often hears survivors of serious illnesses say that they would not let their illnesses define them. While the sentiment expressed can be emotionally uplifting, the reality is that our illnesses do define us in the same way that we are shaped by all of our experiences. The good news is that while our cancer diagnoses are handed to us, we have the ultimate hand in molding our new selves through our thoughts, attitudes and actions.
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