If you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer, you may have wondered, “Why me?” As a cancer patient myself, I get it. You’re seeking to understand how you became the unexpected bearer of this disease.
I don’t have all the answers, but I can provide a different perspective to help you think through it. Allow me to change your point of view. Breast cancer has become a part of your purpose. There could be a deeper meaning as to why you must battle this diagnosis.
Here are some insights into why breast cancer has become part of your experience and how to see your journey as what it is: a wake up call; a platform to advocate for others; a new sense of purpose.
A wake up call
A wake-up call is a deliberate moment that motivates action, awareness and support.
Life is busy, and we’re always on the go. Working, parenting, contributing to your community–there’s always something to do and somewhere to go. We watch the clock to show us how off schedule we’ve become and how late we’ll be for the next event or function.
Our minds are focused on creating a future that we forget to embrace the present. Your breast cancer diagnosis could be telling you that it’s time to slow down. I know for a fact that physically, you will. But it’s important to slow your mind down also. Is it easy? Of course not. Regardless of age, cancer can wake you up to reassess habits that affect your health. It’s a prompt to live fully, not merely endure.
I’m here to remind you to pause, breathe and savor life. You’ll face a new challenge, but you can get through it. Perhaps, there are other reasons as to why breast cancer is a wake up call for you. During your breast cancer journey, you can make your wake up call purposeful by allowing it to redirect your attention to changes or behaviors that need to be addressed.
Questions to ask yourself:
- How can I make this wake up call purposeful?
A platform to advocate for others
There are times when a first hand experience is needed and appreciated. Those that need advocacy deserve someone who knows exactly what they’re experiencing and who can be a voice for them, much like a product you purchase online but need to read the reviews of past customers to get understand. People are more inclined to trust the opinion of someone who has purchased the product compared to someone who hasn’t tested it and experienced it for themselves.
Learn more about helpful links and resources for breast cancer
Though not all breast cancer advocates are patients, it helps to know that others have a full understanding of what you are going through. Your purpose may be preparing you for the bigger picture–advocacy. Of course you don’t see it right now because you have to get through your own battle, but once it’s over, your voice will be strong and someone will need it.
As your purpose is being shaped, maybe you are the one looking for an advocate. If so, the advocacy group This Is Living with Cancer is a very good place to start. You can look for advocacy groups based on your cancer type.
Questions to ask yourself:
- How can I advocate for others?
- How can advocacy become my purpose?
A new sense of purpose
As adults, we tend to think we’ve carved out and structured our lives as we intended. Some people land their dream jobs, and others earn the highest degrees. Many will think they have reached the pinnacle of life, until life throws a curve ball.
Has your breast cancer diagnosis changed your purpose in life? Maybe the purpose you fulfilled before has come to completion, and now this breast cancer journey is awakening a new sense of purpose within you: a new purpose to teach others how to live boldly during and after breast cancer. Not every disease brings doom and gloom; it can also bring hope and optimism.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Is my purpose shifting?
- How is breast cancer becoming part of my purpose?
Many questions have been asked and answered about breast cancer, but the search for meaning—why this, why now and what comes next—continues to guide many survivors toward a renewed sense of purpose. Your purpose has a way of becoming clear in places and situations you’d never expect.