Dear Cancer, I am a Survivor

Dear Cancer,

You came into my life like a storm I never asked for. Uninvited, destructive, and determined to shake the very foundation of my world. You thought you could silence me, strip me of my identity, my confidence, my beauty. Instead, you gave me a deeper purpose. You taught me the power of resilience, the depth of community, and the strength that lives in scars.

Long before you touched me, you reached for my mother, the woman who gave me life. You tried to silence her light and weaken her soul. You took her from me, piece by piece, until she had no more to give. I watched her fight you with every ounce of strength in her body, and I watched you take her anyway. Even in her final days, she fought you with a grace that can only come from God.

On October 1, 2014, I lost my mother to you. Heaven gained an angel, and I gained a purpose. I speak now not just for myself, but for my mother. For every woman you tried to silence. For every daughter who watched her mother fight. For every warrior walking this road with trembling faith and fierce hope.

On December 2, 2020, you tried to break me when you came for me too. You tried to make me question everything. My strength, my body, and my future. What you didn’t know is that I’m my mother’s daughter. The God who walked her through the fire walked with me too.

I survived you. Not by chance, but by divine design. Every scar is a reminder that God still has plans for me. Now, I speak louder. I live boldly. I love harder. I fight. Not just for me, but for every woman you’ve tried to destroy. I advocate for those in the thick of battle. I honor those who are no longer with us. I raise my voice because some can no longer raise theirs.

You see, cancer, I’m not afraid of you anymore.

I am living proof that you can devastate a body but not a spirit. That you can take hair, breasts, and energy. However, you will never take our will to rise again.

You will never define me. I am a daughter, but more so…. I am a survivor.

Sincerely,
Jonell