HAPPY NEW YEAR!
As we look to the future, some of us still fear the cancer will come back. People always tell me not to let fear control my life, and they are right — to a point. I try to live my life to the fullest, and to live each day like it was my last, because every day is a gift.
But that fear is still there; it is not going away. Until the cancer comes back (big IF), I am going to live a spectacular life, and that is my advice to every cancer survivor and patient out there. Live your life! No more complaining, no more being afraid, just no more.
All I see on Facebook is a lot of people bitching and blaming others for the cancer they have. The one thing I didn’t do is to blame anyone for my cancer: I didn’t blame God, and I didn’t blame the Susan G. Komen foundation, or the countless other foundations that promise to end breast cancer or do more to end it. I am tired of hearing all of that. People should focus more on living, rather than complaining or blaming others.
2017 is your year. What are you going to do this year? Are you going to just sit there complaining or blaming others for your cancer? No! You are going to get up and start living.
Start a bucket list! Help others who are going through the journey. Start a new business. Travel. Eat an exotic dish. Meet new, interesting people with wild stories of their lives. Write a book. Listen to more music. Be an extra in a movie. Start dating. Star in your own video. Smile more. Laugh every day and cry every day. Do something really crazy. Zip-line across the forest in South America. Run with bulls in Pamplona. See the Pope!
And every year after this one, keep doing great things. Don’t sit there anymore. Get up … start living!
Remember that line from the movie The Shawshank Redemption? “I guess it comes down to a simple choice: Get busy living, or get busy dying.”
So, what are you going to do?
Instead of lying face down in the fight against cancer, come out swinging! Beat it down! Battle it with all of your strength, faith, positivity and humor! YOU WILL WIN!
That is my motto, and now it is your motto! My name is Steve Del Gardo. I am a Warrior of Life. I am a Breast Cancer Survivor. I am who I am. Read my story at www.protectthepecs.org.
Happy New Year!
Note: Breast Cancer News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Breast Cancer News, or its parent company, BioNews Services, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to breast cancer.