Well then... I never knew that cancer treatment would train me for something like this. How is this pandemic like cancer?? Let me share the two big reasons why this is similar.
1) A cancer diagnosis places its patients in isolation. We are currently in isolation, but we are healthy.
2) During cancer treatment, you are worried about getting sick. Now, everyone is worried about getting sick.
I never thought that chemotherapy treatment would train me for something like this. During chemo, you are so worried about getting sick, you spend a lot of time alone, and you are basically worried about your health, all of the time. Unfortunately, everyone in the world is now worried about getting sick. The big exception, is that people are not sick. We are sitting at home avoiding catching the virus. And we definitely do not want to get sick.
I miss contributing to society with my job as a school teacher. I had always wanted to teach and have done so for 20 years! My life's calling is education and I am proud of it. But, cancer treatment taught me to sit still and heal when necessary.
As I sit at home and quarantine, I remember the days of chemotherapy quarantine. You isolate so you do not get sick while the rest of the world continues forward. You are stuck in one place as the world moves at a rapid pace around you. Life stops.
I would NEVER want anyone to go through this, but now people have a better understanding as this happens to all of us. Wearing a mask used to be a symbol that you are sick and when you wore one as a cancer patient, people definitely looked at you as though you were a sorry person. The looks of pity and sorrow comes to mind as I see others wearing masks.
I hope when this is over, we remember those fighting cancer and how they are still in an existence of isolation. They still are worried about getting sick. Cancer patients will always have a worry of a re-occurrence of cancer. Thus is the life of someone who had a diagnosis of melanoma or any cancer.
How can we reach out to those who will continue to worry about being healthy when this pandemic is over? Just some food for thought. Remember, when the pandemic ends, cancer continues... screw you cancer.
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