"The Calling," by Karen Godfrey
"Come with me.
I must show you.
I am you."
She turns to go.
Suddenly golden light.
Everywhere golden light.
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"The Calling," by Karen Godfrey |
"Come with me.
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So it's official. You've made it through diagnosis, surgery, radiation, chemo. Your hair and strength are coming back. You're now officially a "breast cancer survivor."
Everybody is excited for you to put all this behind you, to pick up where you left off, to get back your old life -- in short, to move on.
But something doesn't feel quite right. Your breast cancer experience has thrown you off course for a while -- perhaps for quite a while.
Try as you might, you may be finding it hard to get yourself resituated in your life. Things that used to fit you just fine -- people, interests, job, routines -- don't seem to fit so well anymore.
You may have found yourself searching for something, without quite knowing what it is.
That's how I felt when I finished my breast cancer treatments back in 1994.
I'd read about the so-called cancer-prone personality (a tendency to always "be nice," to never get upset over anything -- to just bottle things up inside). Much as I hated to admit it, I recognized I had that tendency. And I realized if I didn't make some changes in myself and my life, I'd never become a long-term breast cancer survivor.
So I stepped out of my old life for a while, gave myself permission to follow my instincts, to try new things, to get passionate about some things I never would've allowed myself to even consider in pre-cancer days.
And now, cancer-free more than 10 years later, I believe that the key to long-term breast cancer survival is to find your life -- that is, to find a life that allows you to express who you really are, which is not necessarily who everyone else (including you) may think you are.
In the years since my 1993 breast cancer diagnosis, I have been working hard on my quest to find and express who I really am. In the process, I have developed some life-after-treatment support materials I think you'll find useful in your own quest to do the same.
Whether you've just finished treatments or are several years past your initial breast cancer experience, I hope these life-after-treatment support materials will also help you embrace your cancer as the opportunity for growth and self-exploration that it is.
Here's what you'll find on my website:
1. Information on my Breast Cancer Survivor Kit with the life-after-treatment support materials I wish I'd had when I finished my cancer treatments in 1994.
2. Information on my book, Scenes from a Hero Quest , about the first five years of my cancer journey -- and some excerpts from it -- to make you feel better about how long it's taking you to get resituated in your life.
3. Images of the healing shrines I made to celebrate my 10th anniversary as a breast cancer survivor.
4. Information on my Warrior Wear necklaces (to help you feel more empowered on your journey) and my healing workshops (to help you reconnect with your soul and recover your creativity).
5. A revelation about astrology that may surprise you: it really can help you reconnect with your true self (and help you design a more authentic life), and information on my cancer survivor reading and other deep-diving readings designed to help you heal.
6. Discussions of the "cancer-prone personality" and the "hero quest cycle" that may help you put your cancer into a broader context.
7. News about where to find my kits, books, shrines, Warrior Wear necklaces, workshops, as well as other resources you may find helpful in your quest to remake your life.
If you have comments, please email me at BCQuestCycles@aol.com. I'd love to hear from you about your own cancer journey, and/or about what you find interesting or useful on this website.
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Breast Cancer Survivors
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