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<\/a>\u201cIt\u2019s positive,\u201d the doctor said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How could something so life-changingly negative be labeled \u201cpositive?\u201d I had breast cancer. And I was six months pregnant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was 32 years old, didn\u2019t smoke, exercised regularly, ate right and had no family history of the disease. I was stunned. I was beyond overwhelmed. But I was not going down without a fight. I was determined to get my baby here safely and raise her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it was indeed a fight. The next two years included four chemo treatments, six surgeries, 30 radiation treatments and countless tests. I also had a three-year-old daughter and infant to care for as well as a new consulting business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That was 23 years ago. This spring, I proudly watched the daughter I was pregnant with graduate from the University of Florida. That new business evolved into an advertising and public relations agency, and we just celebrated its 25th anniversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet I didn\u2019t write this to report a happy ending. This is a love note to the people just beginning their fights against this cruel disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I hope it helps simply to know I was in your shoes, and I\u2019m still here more than two decades later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can do this. Fight. While there are no assurances you\u2019ll win, make it your job to get up each day and try. I hope these few things I learned help in some small way:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Screw the statistics and survival rates \u2013 it never hurts to hope.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Be as positive as possible \u2013 even if it doesn\u2019t change the outcome, you\u2019re more pleasant to be around.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- That said, it\u2019s okay for you to feel sorry for yourself sometimes \u2013 just make it a short wade instead of a wallow.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Let people help you and tell them what you really need. It\u2019s not only for you; they need to feel less helpless.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Break things down into smaller sections. Don\u2019t look at the many things you have to endure until you\u2019re reviewing all you\u2019ve accomplished.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Take every opportunity to be with people you love and to do things that make you happy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Whatever it takes, find your way forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Renay Daigle \u201cIt\u2019s positive,\u201d the doctor said. How could something so life-changingly negative be labeled \u201cpositive?\u201d I had breast cancer. And I was six months pregnant. I was 32 years old, didn\u2019t smoke, exercised regularly, ate right and had no family history of the disease. I was stunned. I was beyond overwhelmed. But I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12292,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[171,133],"tags":[173],"class_list":{"0":"post-12290","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-breast-cancer-awareness","8":"category-featured","9":"tag-renay-daigle"},"yoast_head":"\n
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