Fighting Spirit

For 5 years, I have been attending the A.R.C.H. (Achieving Recovery from Cancer to Health) Retreat in St. Louis.  The retreat is sponsored by Leaps of Love, an organization out of Highland, IL that embraces families affected by childhood cancer.

This particular retreat is for young adult cancer survivors between 18 and 30 years old.  It is one of the many activities that Leaps of Love does throughout the year for survivors and/or families.

The stories that the retreat attendees had to tell were incredible
and I wish that more people could have heard them.

Some of these individuals can gladly celebrate 10, 15, even 20+ years cancer-free.  Others, like myself, are going through treatment or just finishing up.  These stories come with challenges.  However, these young adults face things like difficulty with speech, body paralysis, loss of hearing or sight, late effects from chemo/radiation, and I could go on and on.

But the most inspiring thing about all of these individuals,
what we all have in common,
is a fighting spirit.

As we visited with one another last weekend and shared our stories, never once did you hear pity, blame, or someone wanting you to feel sorry for them.  Never did you hear them wallow in the sad story of how they were a 3 year old or a 12 year old or a 20 year old whose life was drastically interrupted by this awful disease.  They were forced into limitations – not being able to play sports, spending multiple holidays in the hospital, or even being told that they’d be lucky to make it to their next birthday – but they beat the odds and lived to tell about it!

Yes, all of us had been dealt a crappy hand when it came to our health.  Having to go through such a terrible disease at some of the ages is unimaginable.  Many of us continue to endure late effects from our treatments.
We also all can relate to some people not knowing exactly how to approach the topic of cancer with us.

One thing that all cancer survivors, young or old, want other people out in the world to know is this:
We are normal, too.
Having cancer may have changed us physically, emotionally or spiritually, but our character hasn’t changed.
Our motivation and determination and drive is strong – probably even stronger than before we were diagnosed.

Cancer survivors do not want to be seen for their limitations and have people feeling sorry for them.
They want them to see their potential and watch while they achieve it!

And if I had to guess, I’d say that my fellow retreat members feel the same way.  Otherwise, they wouldn’t return year after year.  We learn from each other, we offer advice to each other, we understand each other.

And being a young adult cancer survivor, that kind of support can be difficult to find sometimes.

The A.R.C.H. retreat simply reminds me that I’m not the only young adult fighter out there.  These friends of mine fight hard every day, just like me, to live a normal life – to enjoy what other folks may take for granted in this life.

It would be so wonderful if everyone in the world could live life through the eyes of
some of these amazing young men and women.
What an amazing sense of compassion would take over this world!

My fellow survivors have taught me a lot over the past 5 years.
No matter what we have been through, or what we have yet to endure, we are not broken beyond repair.
Our battle scars are proof that we have fought some pretty tough fights, but the battle is ours to win.

We came out stronger than ever before
and our view on life is greater than it has ever been
because we have a
fighting spirit.

A lot of these folks I’ll only see once a year, and in a couple of years, I will be too old for the retreat,
but I will always carry their stories of inspiration with me.
When I’m having a rough day, I’ll think back on one of my friends from the retreat and smile,
knowing that for one weekend out of the year, I was able to connect with such amazing individuals
that showed me how to keep the faith…
keep the motivation…
keep that fighting spirit.

For more information about Leaps of Love, please visit their website!