I didn't follow Elizabeth Edwards story word by word but was saddened yesterday when it came across the news that she has lost her battle with breast cancer. As I sat listening to the news break with Diane Sawyer I was struck by not only how incredibly brave Elizabeth was but also how incredibly fortunate I have been. She battled for SIX YEARS. Six years?!?! I can only imagine; and she had to fight it while putting on a brave face because her husband had an affair but that's a totally different topic.
She led her life and her battle in the public spotlight and did it with grace and dignity. What she wrote on her Facebook page, which was quoted in the news, touched me to my core and reminded me that not everyone gets to win this battle...that I am one of the lucky ones. Mine never spread, it never "Metastasized"...what an awful word...to any other part of my body. I don't even want to think about what the reaction would have been had they said "The Lymph-nodes are not clear" on Oct. 15th instead of "You're cancer free". *Shudder* Granted, there is that teeny tiny spark inside of me that whispers occasionally "What if it comes back??" but then there's the one inside who watched over me the entire time that roars "You do not know how strong my love is and if it comes back I will kick it out again!"
So I am thankful that day by day my energy is returning, my hair is getting longer, my spark is coming back, and I'm feeling like *me* again; and I am fortunate that I had a huge and wonderful support system around me whether they were right there in the thick of things or praying from far away. Know that I will ever be vigilant and conscious as to what is going on inside of me so I can stand guard over my precious life and live my life with grace and dignity.
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