I am not defined by the label of my disease.  It took me years, perhaps decades to figure this out, but in hindsight, I now know with my whole heart, I am more than just this body.  The joy I experience is immeasurable when I look up into the sky each and every day, whether there is rain, snow, sunshine, moonlight or starlight I feel connected and a part of the whole.  When I gaze into the eyes of children, teenagers, peers, seniors, I see myself in them, I no longer feel separate from others.  My eyes are wide open and I feel profound gratitude for life.

A few of things I have learned a long the way of living with active cancer are listed below. As my awareness expands, so will this blog. It is my hope you come back regularly as I add to this ongoing list of lessons learned.  I’ve learned most importantly to live passionately!

• I am not the label of my disease, I am beyond statistics.
• I am more kind to my body, and nourish the needs of my body.
• I take time to play, dance, create, and just be.
• I learned that I was living in fear, this fear is no longer.
• I learned how to reward myself after each test; either through my favorite foods or see a movie.
• I learned to love deeper and greater.
• I learned to forgive myself and others.
• I learned that by my body getting ill, it was calling out for silence, and a new pattern of living.
• I learned to quiet my mind.
• I learned that my life is built up by my participation in it.  To be whole, I had to live fully.
• I learned that quality of life is more important than quantity.
• I learned to surrender to statistics.
• I learned to dream big, bigger, and even beyond dreams.
• I learned to adopt a new perspective beyond science.
• I learned that everything comes from the mind, and to live from the end, become what I envision.
• I learned that everything I see is indeed inside of me.
• I continue to embrace life, and desire to share my learnings.
• I learned empathy, compassion, patience, greater knowledge and greater joy.
• I learned I am not as fragile as I believed, or sometimes as I was treated.
• I learned my spirit was stronger than by body.
• I learned to simply be.