Thank You Cancer

I never thought I would see the day come where I might actually be grateful that I got Cancer. I know that must sound ludicrous to say and it sure feels ludicrous to type and yet as the time passes and I gain a new appreciation and understanding of what I really have in front of me I begin to think that having Cancer and living to tell has actually been a positive for me.

Its funny just how much I think we all take for granted and how we step out into the world every morning with our coloured glasses on, safe in the little bubble that we all keep ourselves in. Perhaps we head to work and pass a homeless shelter for teens and we dont stop to think about how good we have it. Maybe its when your on your way to lunch and your going down the street and you pass the homless and hungry person whom you view as a vagrant on the street corner hoping for charity and mercy and you walk on, not bothering to look back and pretending he was never there. Maybe its something as simple as the ad you saw on TV for the CIBC run for the cure as you sip your beer and wait for the hockey game to come back on, maybe you mute the TV during the commercials so you dont have to listen to the pleas for support. Lastly, it could be one of those gut wrenching animal abuse infomercials run by your local SPCA/Humane Society...we all know those ones and how quickly we change the channel for fear we might feel something or see something that just might pierce that little bubble we keep ourselves in.

Dont get me wrong here, I am not trying to be all self righteous. I am certainly no martyr for the cause. As I type this I am dreaming of my flight to London and my seats in the theatre well I take in the Phantom Of The Opera in the lap of luxury well someone else somewhere else will starve and beg for food. I will wrap myself in my veil of ignorance and watch the show and attempt to not feel guilty for it. The difference is though that I no longer take the little things for granted. I talk to the homeless, I visit the shelters, I volunteer at the Slavation Army food program, I do my best to raise awareness but most importantly, I dont tune out when I see or hear something that may be hard to see or hear. Ignorance is no excuse for not taking action.

If you have never had to deal with such things than you may never understand what I am truly saying. I guess it all comes down to being self aware and thanks to Cancer, I am more self aware than I ever have been.

Just remember, looking away does not make it go away....

LiveSTRONG