how being a cancer survivor chaged my outlook on life

My sister died in a freak accident when she was 18 and I was 14, and that had a very similar effect on me. I haven't lived like other people since. We never know how long we've got.

Thank you for sharing this video. My father passed away in 2000 at the age of 68. I feel it’s important to make the best of our lives because as you said we don’t know what is ahead of us.

As a cancer survivor (Stage IV Non Hodgkins Lymphoma LDBC), I understand completely where you're coming from. It's been almost a decades since, but even non-specific symptoms here and there, disturb me. It always lìngers like an ugly shadow in the back of my mind.

Thanks for talking about your journey. When I was fifty I got an illness that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy yet it was also a blessing. It gave me a chance to get off the hamster wheel and review what I’d been taught and realised so much was lies. I’ve healed what I can and learned to live other changes. Finding gratitude for the smallest of things is healing.

My nephew is a survivor, and I know how nerve wracking for your parents it must have been. Support Jacobs Heart, a free service to families in the US. Your channel is priceless.

I’ve never had something as major as this, but when I was 27 I had an incident that really changed my life. It was the same year that my mom was briefly hospitalized for a heart scare, my brother almost drowned, and my dad was killed… so I was already in a very strange headspace. My appendix burst and, without emergency surgery, there’s a high chance I would have died. Without modern medicine I wouldn’t be here and it really put some things in perspective for me. I often forget these days since it was so long ago, but at the time it felt like that he entire world had shifted. Thanks for sharing

Hi Lia! As a childhood cancer survivor myself, every single word, you said and thought, are exactly what I have. With only difference is that I have complications after my treatments and I still see oncologist every 3 months. After 23 year after being NED. I almost made peace with a fact that I won’t see myself getting old. And somewhat it is liberating. I am not agonising over the fact if I ll grow old. I admitted to myself that I won’t . And if I go actually live till old age, that will be a nice surprise for me.

my cousin, only 9 months older than me, got breast cancer at 30 yrs old. it doesn't run in our family and she doesn't have the gene, so it was quite a shock. but I've seen how it has changed her in many good ways too. she's always been a positive example to me and I love her dearly, but how it has opened her up even more and being intentional, she has such a young family too, and had she not had them so close together she would not have her four beautiful kids. true blessings.

Hi Lia. I’m also a cancer survivor, early breast cancer, 6 years ago. I spent most of 2018 having surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Everything you talked about resonated with me. I live with the fear that it may come back. I had my kids late in life so they’re still young , 22 yrs and 17 yrs. When you’re a parent, you worry more because you want to stick around as long as possible for your kids. Like you, I try to enjoy the little things in life and live as simple a life as possible. ❤️

Your depth of emotion on this really comes through, as does your wisdom. Thank you.

Dear Lia, Thank you so much for sharing. I've shared your video with our cancer group (Cancer Community Clubhouse in Reno, Nv. USA). We have a Young Adult cancer group that meets regularly, and your video speaks to a lot of the subjects that come up. I just wanted you to know how much your words mean. And when our group hears that someone their age, who is in Germany is struggling with the same issues that they have in the USA, it is even more powerful. It is so helpful for survivors to hear from their peers, because while cancer survivors of any age can relate to the struggles and fears of treatments and after, and all of those questions that keep coming back, but we still need that next level of commonality. I'm a 67-year-old Ovarian Cancer survivor., I relate to all cancer survivors, but my perspective is still through the perspective of my age. Even so, I still learned from you. Thank you again, for being so brave and sharing your story.

Thank you so much for sharing. I totally get where you are coming from and how you feel. I survived breast cancer 2 times and it did change me so much but now that it's back again and stage 4 I feel like my whole life is about that. I crave some normalcy so much. I am angry this time but incredibly grateful for insurance and medical help as well as family and friends support. I am questioning my faith right now which has been hard. I feel like a totally different person too and can never trust my body which is so scary. Much love to you and your family. I love your videos! ❤

Oh ja, Krankheiten und dramatische Lebensereignisse prägen das eigene Leben so sehr. Du hast es sehr gut formuliert wie sich das auf die eigene Sicht aufs Leben auswirkt. Ich selbst hatte eine chronisch kranke Mutter, die starb als ich 19 war. Es war daher immer schon in mir, dass ich nichts aufschieben will und auch was mir wirklich wichtig im Leben ist. Inzwischen hab ich leider selber die Erfahrung wie es ist mit einer chronischen Erkrankung zu leben und musste mich nach mehreren heftigen Erkrankungszeiten wieder ins Leben zurück kämpfen. Ich fühle die täglichen Einschränkungen durch meine Erkrankung, aber auch das Bewusstsein, dass es jeden Tag noch schlechter oder sogar vorbei sein könnte.

In a very different event, i was given up for adoption (too long a story for here) but i definitely have always had trust/abandonment/low self esteem issues. Major events do affect us our whole lives. Love you video😘

As a cancer survivor I related to a lot of what you spoke on. Thank you and take good care. ✨

Thank you for sharing your unique story and perspective, Lia. As a person who lives with chronic illness, I consider it just part of who I am at this point. I have accepted that it can affect my lifespan, and have made enjoyment of the present moment a priority. I am grateful for the medical community here in Canada, because I can get the treatment I need to stay healthy and happy. I do think I tend to worry more than my peers if something is "off." Different scenarios will go through my mind, because that has been the reality before. But I also more readily access health care providers than most people to quell these concerns. I use the systems in place, trust them, and feel good about being proactive. Great video, Lia!

Thank you Lia for being so open and vulnerable. Your videos always make me stop and think. I have never had a mayor illness, but as I grow older I realize more and more that I cannot take my body and this life for granted ❤

Dear Lia, I am also a cancer survivor. Diagnosed just last year at 38 yrs old, stage 1 breast cancer, finished treatment 6 months ago. I can relate to everything you said, and on top I would add 2 more aspects, in relationship with each other I think : 1. The survivor’s guilt - it is real and it’s something I struggle with ; 2. Losing religious sense, and any faith in higher things - it happened to me during treatment and left me a bit unsure of the purpose of my existence in the end of it all.

What a very emotional and thought provoking video; your words really made me think ❤

Thank you for sharing. As a student of Buddhism understanding impermanence, including our own impermanence, is a part of the path to freedom.