Tony's Story: Living Beyond Cancer
Tony Wi is a Breastcancer.org Community member in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA.
Having faith, family is the most beautiful thing in the world. It’s tangible and has real value. We are not perfect but we are living. Animals, plants, and trees are the only living things that share the commonalty.
When tragedy strikes it’s hard to imagine life with pain, uncertainties, and changes.
Did you do enough? Could I have eaten better, exercised more? Should I’ve gone to the emergency room, doctor's office eight times per year instead of the four to find out why I was so tired, chest pains, and headaches plagued me? These are questions that may never be answered.
However when life threw punches, knowing how to pray, have faith, be flexible is more important than worrying, "How am I going to pay for this?"
Maybe if I hadn’t let MD inject me with hormone pellet therapy as a method of replacing hormones (hormone pellets are implants under the skin that release bioidentical hormones), I may not have cancer.
I have so many questions but little answers to what really causes cancer. I’ve read no exercise and [being] overweight causes cancer, but isn’t this half of America?
My sisters, mother, and other family are overweight, don’t exercise -- they don’t have cancer.
Being diagnosed with cancer left me feeling like I’m a three year old that thinks their parents divorcing is their fault. Guilty about asking for financial help because I should have saved for [an] emergency like this.
In contrast, tragedy has brought my husband and I closer. We are struggling financially. If you have it, give, but if you don’t, life will always be here for someone to enjoy it. So live your best life.
I didn’t realize how painful chemotherapy is. For me my muscle, bones ache. I have headaches every day. But I don’t throw up. I’m often dizzy. I’m very sensitive to the medication use to assist with chemo. I have most of the side effects.
My chemotherapy journey doesn’t sound happy because it isn’t. I never want to pretend like chemotherapy is a piece of cake. It's not for the faint of heart.
People need people. A good support group is very important. Spiritual support if you have it.
Remain positive. Think about everything you are blessed, fortunate, to have. You're alive. Air to breathe, your favorite blanket. It sounds cheesy but it really works. Finding ways to be thankful. Knowing God for me. My never-before, like-waves-of-the-ocean relationship with my husband. I have to look at what we have now.
We never took the time to really look at each other to check in: "Are you okay?"
My family -- hearing their voices. Looking out my window at nature’s fall color, hearing free music from the birds every morning. Hearing my neighbors' dog barking to let me know something on our street she doesn’t like. (I love that dog -- I can’t remember her name!) Positive thoughts will keep your stress level down during this difficult moment in your life.
Best wishes to all for life beyond cancer.
