How Cancer Led Me to My Calling

As young adults, we often feel invincible. When I heard the words “you have cancer,” I automatically lost control of my life. Everything was stripped from me instantly. It taught me to live my life at its fullest potential. Treat every day as if it’s your last day on earth. If you have a dream or a goal, take action to achieve it as you never know what tomorrow brings.

My first outing after losing all my hair was the grocery store. I was nervous to leave the house as it was obvious to others what battle I was facing. As I wandered the aisles, a young mother with two girls approached me. She lightly tapped my shoulder and said “Can I ask how old you are?” to which I responded, “I’m 21.” She then said, “I assume you’re fighting cancer?” “Yes,” I replied. She paused, then hesitantly asked if she could give me a hug. I contemplated that my immune system was compromised and catching a cold could be deadly for me, but something in her eyes told me that she wasn’t asking for a hug to comfort me, but to comfort herself. After I pulled away from the embrace, I noticed the tears streaming down her face. When I asked what was wrong, she looked me in the eye and said, “I just lost my nine-year-old to cancer.” I pulled her in for another hug, holding her tighter this time. We talked about her son, and she even showed me a picture of him before parting ways. 

I left the store stunned that day, but it also gave me a new perspective. Because of what I was going through, I was able to connect with someone, comforting them when no one else around them could. It was at that moment that I realized that I was going through this battle for a reason. Once I returned to college after reaching remission, I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in social work, to help other oncology patients with their cancer battle. Now, I serve on the Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) patient advisory board at my cancer hospital and plan on starting my MSW program in the next 7 months. Sometimes we don’t understand why we are presented with such challenges, but it is important to realize that these challenges shape us, making us stronger individuals.