will not let cancer rule my life.

[aumaum80]

Hello everyone, I was new here last week. I was diagnosed with a kind of cancer that I could not cure because it was a rare type of cancer. Now I can only do radiation to stop the cancer from spreading fast. When I heard the diagnosis, the first thing I worried about is that I have never been afraid of death, but I'm afraid to tell my family.It took me a lot of courage to tell the bad news because I did not want to see them upset and worried. I promise myself the rest of the time I will send as many smiles to everyone as possible and I will never be ashamed to tell my friends and family I love them once I have been diagnosed.I allow cancer to stay in my body, but I do not allow it to control my thoughts and feelings.I meditate before going to bed and when I wake up in the morning, I stand in front of the mirror and smile to myself and say that i have done well.I will be a patient who obeys the doctorI will not try to think positively, but I will stay with the present and gradually solve the problem point by point.I do not know what the future holds, but I will not worry about what has not yet happened.I would like to send encouragement to everyone, but I would like to say that you are not fighting alone.I hope this article was helpful to many people who are suffering from anxiety.😀

[joseph_CCNSW]

Hello aumaum80.   Thank you for posting here. I can hear how suddenly things have changed and the impact this is having on you.  The online forum can be a wonderful space to find support from others who connect with your experience and share their own stories. You may also find it helpful to search Cancer Council's  website or to call our 13 11 20 team for information about the range of services available to support you.   Kind regards ... Joseph_CCNSW

[y3boyz4me]

Hello. Thank you for your encouraging post. I hope I can one day feel more empowered and in control of things, but I haven't reached that point yet.

Good luck to you. Please keep me posted.

[aumaum80]

Hi, thank you for sharing. I understand that it can be hard to control situations at times, but one thing you can do is control your thoughts. Your thoughts. I have trained myself to be mindful at all times and not listen to the voices in my head. Part of that is through meditation, through breathing exercises. When my mind starts to think negatively, I practice focusing, shifting my attention. Maybe go outside, or do something to distract myself. When you train yourself in this way, whenever the negative voices get stuck in your head, you will become better at controlling who you allow to be in your mind. I wish you the best.

[JK]

What a brave attitude, thank you for sharing.

I too have been diagnosed with cancer, and like you, it's not death I'm afraid of, it's how I die, and we are fortunate to have such great care available to us.

I find one of the hardest things is continuing to maintain a brave face for those around me. Outwardly I look quite well, but inwardly I'm struggling.

Sending you love for your journey ahead. ❤️ 

[aumaum80]

Hello everyone, today I’m here to give you an update. I've been lying around like a vegetable in my room for over a week now after finishing 15 sessions of radiation on my spine. But I refuse to just lie here in pain. I’ve created a page for the first time in my life to share knowledge with cancer patients from my own experiences and to show how to live happily with cancer, including topics on nutrition and self-care. This has made my time of just lying around worthwhile, helping me to avoid focusing on the pain. I’ve been able to update my condition, teach meditation, and share useful information with other cancer patients. Sometimes, focusing too much on pain can actually intensify it without bringing any benefit at all. I want to encourage all patients to fight back. If you can’t fight, just smile at cancer for now. By changing our external state through something as simple as a smile—no need for a reason—you might find that your internal state changes as well. Give it a try and see how you feel. I’m here to support you.

[TomJ]

Right with you on that one, i treat clothing like a unform, clock on, do the treatments, go home take the shirt off, clock off, 

 2024 - 25 i had 2 T shirts, 1st a car club shirt to get started then a shirt i had printed with one of my quotes including the Welsh flag dragon meaning,

 Strength – Fierceness & eternal spirit in overcoming invaders.

Quote: No matter how shit life feels

             there's always something

             to be cheerful about

             So what's your something?

    End of 2025 into 2026  a new T shirt with another one of my quotes & the same dragon. 

Quote: I'm NOT dying of cancer

               I'm NOT living with cancer

               cancer is struggling to survive ME

              feel free to post what's your something.

Now into 2026 i'ved moved into trails therapy so of course a new shirt again, i started with stage 4 lung and bone so i call the trials stage 5, i still can't post pics up so basicly the T shirt is>> words: Exclusive member of club EXperimental Lab Bunny, under the words> an AI picture of a white rabbit with glasses in a lab mixing up new chemicals, under the picture> words: cancer is struggling to survive me. Everyone at the Oncology dep/ Blacktown Hospital including other patients have had a postive response and a bit of a laugh and that's what i hope is for other people to get some fun out of it. cheers everyone & keep on keeping on...........Tom

[Miranda_ccnsw]

Hi @TomJ - how are you going this week 'keeping on keeping on'?

[TomJ]

doing ok thanks, just the usual side effects, short of breath is the main one messin' with me, i've completed the 1st 4 trials ( tripple dose) have a new scan next week, depends on results what i do next. been busy completing my Vol/ 1 of my memoirs - 67 pages so far with pics, i'm putting together a recipe book for people with cancer who are having trouble with the feral taste buds, it will be free for the asking, i've invited anyone going through cancer treatment who have the same problem to contribue what foods/liquids work for them as in a reasonable tatse.....no takers yet. i'm contributing about 15 pages so far, probably add a few more recipes, email is>>> [email protected] 

take care

Tom

........still unable to upload pictures.........

[Miranda_ccnsw]

That's great to hear you're doing ok. And keeping busy with purpose is so important. For anyone wishing to contribute to the recipe book, here's a link to the original post:

https://onlinecommunity.cancercouncil.com.au/t5/Living-with-cancer/Recipe-book/m-p/43956

Finding foods that are manageable during treatment is such a challenge for many.

Miranda

CCNSW