Suzanne

I had cancer in 2012. Both my parents have had cancer. My father-in-law Edward and my husband Harold both died from cancer in the last 6 years. My husband was only 51. I think about cancer every day, but not in the way you might think.

 

What I have learned is this: cancer does not define us. It is something we have.

 

It (cancer) does not have us.  

 

Medical treatment for cancer, including surgery and chemotherapy, can be disfiguring and debilitating. When you look in the mirror, sometimes you see a total stranger.

 

The TOUGH S.O.B. logo is more than letters and words. It’s a reminder to the wearer that you are more than a patient in a blue gown with a hospital ID bracelet, more than a statistic, more than a set of symptoms and circumstances. It is a reminder that you are strong, resilient and brave. And above all, a reminder that you are not alone. Because having cancer is intensely lonely.

 

But the truth is, as the poet Rumi says “We are all just walking each other home,” in this journey of life, and we are stronger when we stand in solidarity with one another.

 

Bless you all, my friends in The Worst Club Ever. When you look in the mirror, see Love.

 

Suzanne.