09.13.16

The Power of your story

In anticipation of our September Dialogues, The Power of Your Breast Cancer Story, one of Firefly Sisterhood’s Guides offered to share with us the profound healing she experienced in the act of writing following her breast cancer diagnosis. By putting her thoughts and emotions into words, Susan created a shift in her thinking and a new way to connect with others.

 Thank you, Susan, for sharing a piece of your story with us.

The Gift of A Story

Do you sometimes feel like you have nothing to say and everything to say? Do you listen to or read someone’s personal story of struggle and triumph and nod your head? Does the voice in your head say, ‘I get it’, while you offer a quiet thanks to the person for sharing their story with courage? I sure do. I’ve shared my story of disappointment, fear, and hope among many, and it’s the head nodding and pure gratitude I receive each and every time which gives me the inspiration to keep sharing my story. You see, I believe that every wrinkle on my face and every scar on my body has a narrative to tell. My story says, “I am like you and you are like me, and our stories intersect in a profound way that allows me to believe we are all part of the same novel.” We may have travelled to our current destination on different roads and through different fields, but our stories show we have journeyed regardless.

Let’s back up. I wasn’t always openly and without inhibition shouting my story to all who might listen. For a long time, I was too raw. Maybe you are too. When I received the news of a breast cancer diagnosis during Christmas of 2012, I was numb and in shock. I didn’t know how to talk about cancer. I didn’t know that having cancer would become a defining shift in what my story would be. I was just trying to cope. I was just trying not to succumb to the overwhelming sense of aloneness I felt. Did you feel alone in a room filled with people? Was it difficult to share how you really felt even with those closest to you? It was for me.

This is when I began writing. I started my CaringBridge site and shared uncensored feelings, emotions, and, often, just plain anger. Although this journey had just begun, I soon found that writing became a jumping off point on my pathway to healing.

As I began to write entry after entry, I was overwhelmed with the support I received from friends and family: people cheering me on; loved ones feeling my pain; friends near and far taking time to share encouraging words. I began to feel better. I realized that my story was unfolding in “real time” and that the pain and sadness of cancer was no longer keeping me hostage. The words on the page were helping me heal – little by little. Sharing my deeply personal story with others allowed them a glimpse into my daily walk into the unknown. It gave the people I loved and others around me permission to participate in my story, however they saw fit. I needed compassion and to be heard and seen. By sharing my story one page at a time, I let them journey with me, and they, too, became part of the same novel.

Space is still available, so please join us:  https://thepowerofyourbreastcancerstory.eventbrite.com

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