Mike Linn, Cancer Patient Advocate, shared a post on X:
“I’m 1 year into remission from stage 4 cancer today! For the third time!
Each diagnosis, treatment, and remission has been its own weird, scary, and ultimately fulfilling process. The first time I finished treatment, I remember thinking ‘this date will be a milestone of my perseverance, and I will smile on this day forever.’ I no longer celebrate that anniversary the same way, as it has been supplanted twice in terms of ‘the date to watch.’
Last year on this day, my team in Costa Rica lost the final game of a national championship series by one point. I cried with my teammates, then did my final treatment and had dinner with one of my best friends as we half-mourned/half-celebrated.
Today, I’m having an awesome day with my wife, but a pretty normal one. We’re going to a fancy dinner, but neither of us is treating this day as something particularly abnormal. In a way, my reaction to this milestone is representative of what cancer has taught me.
Cancer has taught me that your identity can and will be consumed by a serious diagnosis like this. You aren’t going to be the same person, but that’s ok. Life is about growth, and growth comes from perspective.
When I beat stage 4 cancer the first time, I pictured it as a blip that I had been fortunate enough to get through without too much damage. After the second time, I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to be healthy again. Now after round three, I’m at peace with whatever version of life I will face.
My prognosis is good, and I have hope that I can stay out of my own way. But reflecting on my 8 years of being a cancer patient has shown me that it’s been my life all along – the story is just being told through a different lens than I expected. You could say that about most great lives, though.
Who wants to live the life you expect?
I don’t recommend getting cancer three times, but someone had to and it had to be me. At this point in my life, cancer is firmly woven into the tapestry, but I’m no longer mad or sad. I’m really proud of who I’ve become and what I’ve done in the last 8 years. It feels like I have a long, bright future in front of me. I’m going to make the most of whatever time I get.”
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