11 years and counting

Today I celebrate 11 years of being cancer-free! It's hard to believe it's been this long already. Time has flown on occasion and gone extremely slow sometimes. I haven't thought about cancer much over these past few years but at the beginning, right after I was first diagnosed, cancer consumed me. I couldn't think about anything else. I'm so thankful to finally be able to say I've lived well over the 5-year mark that most doctors and cancer treatment centers hold out for. For some reason it seems to be the magic number. I never have understood that. 

On my last visit to see the oncologist, she said,  "Next year we'll move you into the survivorship program." I wanted to ask why. I've been coming to this cancer treatment center or about 10 years. It didn't make sense. 

No matter what they say, I'm believing in my heart that I'm completely cure of cancer and I will never face it again. My faith has carried me through all of these years post-diagnosis. Without it I wouldn't have made it this far. So next year when I go to the cancer treatment center for my tests, I'll go through the rigmarole and wait to see if everything is all good. Then I'll laugh inside as they move me into the survivorship program. It's just a formality for them but for me, it's a milestone. 

Everyday post-diagnosis is a day for celebration. Life is so precious. We should celebrate it more than we do. We are so blessed.