Navigating a Malignant Diagnosis with Gratitude and Strength
When I received the news that the tumour was malignant, my first reaction wasn’t fear – it was gratitude. Not because this kind of diagnosis is ever easy, but because in my case, it is, contained & manageable. A reminder of how unpredictable life is, but also of the strength I have to face whatever comes next.
The body is an incredible thing. It speaks to us in ways we don’t always recognise until we’re forced to listen. Lately, mine has been speaking loudly – through inflammation in my eyes to my stomach, through the fatigue that sits just beneath the surface, and now, through this diagnosis. It’s as if my body is holding up a sign that says, Slow down. Pay attention. Something needs to change.
The doctors have told me to avoid stress. A logical, well-intentioned piece of advice. But stress isn’t something you can simply choose to eliminate. It’s woven into every part of life – work, leadership, advocacy, the daily pressures of showing up for others. It lingers in the expectations we place on ourselves and in the emotions we absorb from the world around us.
So, I’m working on something different. Not eliminating stress, because that’s impossible, but managing my response to it. Managing my reaction to the emotions in the air. Understanding that while I can’t control what happens around me, I can control how I carry it.
This journey is another chapter in my life, one that is challenging but also clarifying. It reminds me of the importance of kindness – not just to others, but to myself. It reinforces the need to listen, not just to the people I serve, but to my own body. And it solidifies something I’ve always believed: that no matter what life throws at us, we always have a choice in how we respond.
The doctors said surgery was best, cut it out and retested and it was gone, but not forgotten. Learnings come and we must apply what we have learned.
So today, I choose gratitude. I choose to honour what my body is telling me. I choose to manage my energy, not just my time. And above all, I choose to keep moving forward -with purpose, with resilience, and with the belief that no matter how uncertain the path, I will find my way.
Because – You Can Be Something. Even in the face of uncertainty. Even when life throws unexpected challenges your way. We all can.
