Elle Magazine, India, emailed me to ask me about "love" - how that changes post breast cancer treatment - to print in their October Breast Cancer Awareness Issue.
My response:
At 28 years of age, married for almost six years and caring for a two year old daughter, a woman may think she knows all about loving and being loved. But life never stops testing you and your emotions. 'Love' encompasses so many emotions that change you and shape you as a person in times both good and bad. Love is strength, love is respect, love is so much more than can ever be explained through words written or spoken. Love is knowing that your family is praying for you and they are confident that you will step out of the operating room the same person you were, breathing and full of life. Going through cancer treatment, I learned that loving yourself is not selfish. You need to love life to reassure your family that you are strong and will fight cancer because they need you. Love is knowing that even when you have lost your hair from chemo, your daughter will kiss your bald head and burst into laughter from how that feels! I have learned that expressing yourself more to people who you find love in is very important. Love is when your husband brings seven slices of cheesecake to the recovery room because he couldn't remember your favorite flavor. Post treatment, I learned that love is not found in the material give and take; love is the everyday joys that your child, your spouse, your family, and your friends bring.
