My name is Joel Nowak and I am a survivor of five different primary cancers, including one that has reoccurred. I have a special message for people who have just found out they have cancer.
When you are first diagnosed with cancer, when the doctor says to you have cancer, you are likely to have many different responses. Among these first possible responses are fear, apprehension, disbelief, sadness, anger, dread, or even denial. Any and all of these reactions are reasonable and normal.
Hearing that you have cancer can feel like you've been run over by a train. Actually, let's be honest, you have been run over by a train, an emotional train. Like any other train, this train will continue to barrel down the tracks whether or not you like it. The question is, will it just run over you and leave you squashed on the tracks, or will you be able to find a way to climb on board and ride with the train?
If you are able to climb on board, will you ride in the third class section or ride in the first class section? This choice is yours.
Every one of us is capable of getting on the train and not being left squashed on the tracks. Every one of us is also capable of riding the train In the first-class section.
Only you will be able to decide how you're going to deal with the diagnosis. Only you can decide how you are going to live the rest of your life. It's your decision, your decision alone.
We have all been given a seat at the table of Life. The dealer has dealt us our cards, we have a limited amount of control of what those cards will be, or what our hand will look like.
Once we get our hand dealt to us, it is entirely up to us, nobody else will decide how we're going to play our cards. We have choices. So why wouldn't you choose to play the hell out of your hand? Why wouldn't you make the choice to travel in first class, forget being run over, and forget even traveling in third class. Go first class all the way.
The best way to play your hand is to empower yourself, learn the rules of the game, do your homework, study your disease, get second and third opinions. Put together the best possible medical team, take personal responsibility for all of your medical decisions, and be the director and manager of your team. You are a first-class person. so go only In First Class.
Remember, you are no sicker the day after you receive your diagnosis than you are on the day before your diagnosis. Being diagnosed with cancer does not make you any sicker. I'll say this again, being diagnosed with cancer does not make you any sicker.
Being diagnosed actually puts you on the road to becoming healthier. Being diagnosed means that you can choose to take a path that will allow you to become healthier.
Now that you know that you have cancer, you can start taking the necessary actions to controlling it. Knowing you have cancer allows you to stand up to it and to take control of your life. If you have cancer, getting diagnosed is really good news because it allows you to begin the process of taking back the control of your health. It allows you to figure out how to start playing the cards that have been dealt to you.
I know this sounds strange, but I know that you should celebrate your diagnosis, not the cancer, because now that you know that you have cancer you are now able to do something about it. Knowing that you have cancer allows you to take affirmative actions that will control your cancer, extend your life, and preserve its quality.
Knowing that you have cancer will allow you to become a CANCER THRIVER, a person who has cancer but still thrives on life. Don't be glad that you have cancer, but do be glad that you have the diagnosis, that you know about it, and can begin to deal with it. I have been diagnosed with five primary cancers. Those of us with older diagnosis and with multiple cancers know that being diagnosed with cancer is not an automatic death sentence.
Look, I'm still here, alive today, despite having cancer. People like me are living proof that a cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence. Cancer is a part of me, cancer is a part of anyone who's been diagnosed, but it's not who we are.
Cancer is not our defining essence. It's a disease that we have which we are controlling. We control our cancer, we control our health care decisions and we control our life. We have cancer, but despite this, we are living our life, we are thriving with cancer. It may seem odd, but many people, like me, who have a cancer diagnosis, celebrate the anniversaries of our diagnoses. Why do we do this? Because it means that we are still here, we are still alive.
When we put our feet on the ground, we feel the Earth underneath us, we can wiggle our toes, we can wiggle our fingers and we can scream out and hear our echo come back to us. We are alive, we celebrate our life and most importantly, we celebrate that we are alive despite having cancer.
My first cancer diagnosis was over 37 years ago, but I am here today. I have four other cancers, I have had a metastatic recurrence, but I am healthy, happy, and a joyful individual.
I thrive with cancer. We all can learn to thrive with cancer. It's true, having cancer will change your life and the lives of your friends and family. There will be ups and downs, but knowing that you have cancer will allow you to respond to the illness and retake control of your life. Controlling your life and destiny will fill you full of hope, love, and joy.
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For more information about how to deal with a cancer diagnosis, as well as to sign up for our important blogs or to learn about our support groups and support programs, go to our web page, located at wwwcancerabcs.org, that's www.cancerABCs.orgorg.
Thank you for listening.
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