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Life Redefined: Thank You
To all of you who participated (virtually) in Relay for Life with me by commenting on this post a couple of weeks ago, thank you. I took each of you with me to Relay for Life on May 6th. I carried your names around with me the entire time I was there and it reminded me that we are not alone. We are in this together.
I took this picture during the survivors’ lap, the opening lap at Relay. I loved the way the sun was shining down on us. All these survivors and caregivers (there were thousands of us!) are walking this lap because we’ve all been personally affected by cancer. We’ve had this hardship in our lives that you only fully understand if you’ve lived it, but the sun shone down on us so beautifully during that lap. To me, it was a picture of hope. I was reminded again that the good does exist alongside the bad.
You see, we’re on common ground here. No two patients are exactly alike, but we are on common ground because we understand that we all need support. We all need to be reminded that we are not walking this mile alone. And that’s exactly what we do for each other here on Dear Thyroid. Thank you for being such a supportive community. We hold each other up, cry together, laugh together, and learn how to live together.
Thank you for making me feel treasured.
xoxo,
Joanna
Tags: cancer survivors, caregivers, community, Life Redefined: Thank You, Relay for Life, support, supporting each other through illness, thyroid cancer, Thyroid Cancer in Young Adults, Thyroid Cancer Survivor, Written by Joanna Isbill
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6 Responses to “Life Redefined: Thank You”
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Congratulations Joanne on doing the relay for life..almost as if the rays of hope reined down on everyone that day ..great work great picture.
Lolly
Thank you, Lolly.
🙂
Beautiful picture! Congratulations and yes, we are on common ground. I’m thankful to you and for the Dear Thyroid community for all the support. My survivor lap is this Saturday. Hope is a beautiful thing!
Anna
I’m thankful for all the support we have here, too. How was your survivor lap? Was it awesome?
Hope is a VERY beautiful thing!
Yes you are not alone and it is great to see you have been walking with others on that day. Life gets a different meaning because maybe for the first time we became the others who’s lives have tumbled down, who became slower but alive, who watch those we are left behind propel forward like the wind. And we are the sand grains that flown by those winds eventually settle down on a new life.
Helen, thank you for this beautiful comment. I think you’re so right. We have the opportunity to see life through new eyes. While I often feel caught up in a storm, I’ve also learned how to appreciate life in a new way. Sounds like you have, too.