cancer date

Since my diagnosis I have been lucky to meet many amazing cancer survivors. It is a little bit strange how when people find out about your situation they want to "hook you up" with someone else they know who also has cancer. I have met a few people this way now. I joke that it is almost like going on a blind date. You have been told about the person and they have probably been told about you, but neither person knows what the other looks like or really what to expect. Today I met up for coffee with Alyson, an awesome girl who I met through my naturopath. Alyson and I sat and chatted for about two hours this afternoon at a coffee shop. Alyson was diagnosed over a year ago with brain cancer, an incurable form that has a 99% rate of reoccurrence. Like myself, it is almost impossible to tell that Alyson is "sick". She is so cheerful and very honest and open about her challenges. We talked about so many aspects of this disease, and about what it is like to live with something that you are told is incurable (or very likely incurable). We also talked a lot about positivity and how there are only certain people you can share ALL your thoughts with. Sometimes I have found that it is good to talk about everything that is going through my brain, even the really bad stuff. I don't think just talking about it means that I am not being positive, it's just putting it out there and maybe getting out of my just my head. Sometimes this can be a little scary for others and I get this, but sometimes putting it out there makes it seem less scary. It has been really nice to meet others who truly understand what it is like and have probably shared the exact same thoughts that I sometimes have.