Long Story Short, I Survived

Hearing the doctor say, "are you sitting down?" a pause, and then "your tests came back positive, you have stage two malignant melanoma."

Yep, I went numb. My mind saying over and over, "what does this mean?"

"What will my treatments look like?"

"Can this kill me?"

I survived.

I was lucky, my battle with cancer consisted of a simple surgery.

Unfortunately, many diagnosed with cancer sometimes face months and in some cases years of treatment. According the National Cancer Institute (NCI) more than 1,688,780 people will be newly diagnosed with some form of cancer in 2017. The good news is that 67% will survive for five years and beyond. These are the warriors, real survivors. The battle is real for the patient and their family.

Patients and caregivers are in the trenches dealing with the pain, the exhaustion, the crappy feeling of chemo and radiation, the constant worry of the unknown, and coming face to face with their own mortality.

Close friends and family have battle cancer. I've walked the trenches with these warriors, taking them to treatments, fixing them dinner, listening to them reflect on their life. Witnessing the rage, humor, courage, and grace as they battle the disease has been awe inspiring.

Some have lost the fight but most have survived and I am grateful for the experience. Whether you are currently in the battle or are in the trenches with your love ones. We at Heart Touch see you, the warriors, the survivors.

Keep up the fight.

This is dedicated to YOU. The SURVIVORS, the WARRIORS.

Here are some awesome quotes from the cancer survivor community. We hope they inspire you, give you courage, and maybe make you laugh.

"I'm thankful for my struggle because from it I have found my strength."

"I am not thankful for cancer . . . but I am thankful for what cancer has taught me."

"I am still standing."

"Cancer . . . been there, beat that."

"Cancer is only going to be a chapter in my life, not the whole story."

"Like my hairdo, my oncologist did it."

"Hey cancer .... You picked the wrong family to mess with!!!"

"Cancer touched my breast so I kicked its ass."

"It came, we fought, I won."

"I never knew what bravery was until I saw it in my mom."

"My dad's battle is my battle. Supporting him until he wins."

"I had cancer, cancer never had me."