When I first heard the words nobody EVER wants to hear…“You have cancer,” I shared the news privately with my husband.
My first instinct was to keep it a secret and not tell the world. My husband immediately said, “No way. We are going to need all the support we can get.” Boy was he right! We told our families that day. When we found out, it just happened to be the first day of a week-long vacation with family. To be honest, it was kind of nice to have that first week with no doctor visits and lots of play time as I slowly started to process the diagnosis.
As soon as we got back from vacation, I started telling my closest friends. I also told them it was not a secret and they were welcome to share the news with anyone they felt should know. I’m glad I told them and allowed them to tell others. It was definitely the right way to go for me.
Obviously, it’s nobody else’s business what is going on with your health, but… Support and knowledge can come from the least likely places. Choosing to tell my story, offered some opportunities to get to know and lean on some great people. I didn't know anyone close to my age that had been through breast cancer. By telling everyone, I was able to meet some amazing women that knew exactly what I was going through. Thank goodness I found some survivor sisters along the way!
This whole cancer thing is a really long, tough ride. You need allies. You need help. You need support. And your friends and family WANT to be there for you. Strangers WANT to be there for you.
Tell the world. Tell Everyone.