The Choice is Yours

I went to make a delivery the other day and met a beautiful woman. I’ll call her JJ. JJ was diagnosed with cancer just recently and she received some information about some local resources, including the Chemo Crew. She reached out to us and I scheduled a time to go by and bring her one of our Chemo Kits. This is the best part of my job. I LOVE meeting new people and being able to share a little bit of my story. My hope is that my experience might bring a little hope and encouragement to someone who is at the beginning of their own cancer journey. JJ shared her story with me. She exuded joy, peace, and love. We talked about cancer, surgery, chemo, radiation, and all the things that go along with these treatments. She asked me questions, and I was able to tell her how things went for me.

This is why we are here. Our mission is to provide hope and help to cancer patients and their families. Cancer is a word that has the propensity to cause fear, anxiety, and sadness in the lives of its hearers. However, we, the hearers, are the ones who get to choose how we respond. There have been many wonderful people who have come through our support group who have had such a positive attitude. That attitude is contagious. Before my first chemo, I pledged to reach out to others in the infusion room. God gave me some sweet opportunities to meet other women who were walking the same road, and we connected, that brought me joy.

As my time with JJ came to a close, she remarked that she didn’t want me to leave, that she felt like we have known each other forever. I felt the same. We moved from talking about cancer to sharing about life. What a sweet soul. JJ is blessed. She has a wonderful family, friends, and church that are supporting and loving her. She has a positive attitude. Cancer has not defeated her; she has hope, joy, and peace. Those are just some of the infinite list of things cancer cannot take from you.

How will you respond to cancer? The choice is yours.