A two-time cancer survivor explores her thoughts on aging.
BY Barbara Tako
PUBLISHED September 14, 2019
Barbara Tako is a breast cancer survivor (2010), melanoma survivor (2014) and author of Cancer Survivorship Coping Tools–We'll Get You Through This. She is a cancer coping advocate, speaker and published writer for television, radio and other venues across the country. She lives, survives, and thrives in Minnesota with her husband, children and dog. See more at www.cancersurvivorshipcopingtools.com,or www.clutterclearingchoices.com.
I am now one of "those" people. You know, someone who has some gray hair and talks about health worries, procedures, medications and medical concerns with fellow aging folks. Fall is now a metaphorical life stage as well as a seasonal event. And yet: I still feel young inside! I suspect many of us do. My feelings include some satisfaction at my achievements, but there are also hopes and dreams not yet experienced. It may be helpful for cancer survivors and others to ponder aging.
In my forties, cancer pitched me into early post-menopause, then osteopenia (loss of bone mass), permanent hair loss and brittle hair, and then finally neuropathy (numbness in the foot I "coincidentally" rolled and broke a couple years ago). Cancer is the unwanted gift that just seems to keep on giving. I am grateful to be here. I would just like fewer cancer reminders and signs of deterioration. Who wouldn't?
A person could mope or make the best use of the time that is left. I just finished It's Never Too Late To Begin Again, and I am currently working on You Can Draw In 30 Days. I also have an upcoming MRI to look at my pancreas because of my PALB2 cancer mutation and a vague plan in my mind to see an endocrinologist and join a fitness gym (again) to work on my fatigue. I learn that I can do new things and be responsible about my ongoing healthcare.
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