I was recently asked to comment on whether there might be any positives to the cancer experience. As a Medical Family Therapist with a special interest in working with those touched by cancer, I quickly put on my thinking cap...

Cancer sucks AND it can also a great teacher. It can force you to reconsider your life and what you're living for and why. It can make you realize you do have a choice beyond the auto-pilot of daily living and that pace is yours to set. It can help you question your own mortality and those around you and hopefully, guide you to better the elements of relationships that are within your control. Cancer can also pull together communities to support you and connect you with those you didn't know well, while deepening existing relationships. That said, cancer also puts you on the receiving end such that you might, perhaps for the first time, learn to receive rather than give.

Let me know if you'd want more!