‘What’s that?’ I grumbled. ‘Your dad bought you things while you were in surgery.’: Woman diagnosed with thyroid cancer learns important lessons from father through poignant gifts

“At the age of 41, I was diagnosed with Thyroid cancer. It was completely out-of-the blue, as I had no symptoms, except for a mass discovered by my doctor. While the entire ongoing journey affected my life profoundly, the time immediately after surgery turned my life’s perspective on end. In a good way.

In the first coherent moments after surgery, I was in a hospital room with Brian by my side. Everyone had kissed me goodbye and returned home, I was in a ton of pain, thirsty and hungry. It must have been the drugs because I was suddenly concerned about a white gift bag sitting on the counter.

‘What’s that?’ I grumbled.

‘Your dad bought you a few things while you were in surgery.’

I motioned for him to bring me the bag. I lifted my bed up, focused, and watched as Brian showed me what was inside. The bag contained three gifts: a square, a stone, and a scarf.

A Square.

It was a flat, squared-shaped magnet, colored white and aqua that read, ‘Cancer Sucks. That is All.’ Nothing speaks a greater truth. No matter where in your body or what kind, cancer sucks. It shakes your foundation and unsettles your soul. It is a logistical pain in the ass. It is very expensive. It’s scary. While I have no control over what cancer is or does, I can control the way I react to it or the way I deal with it. Some days I say this to myself and it helps; I mean it and believe it. Other days I laugh and laugh at myself, saying instead, what-the-fuck-ever sister; this shit sucks. Either way, it’s ok.

A Stone.

It was a polished white oval with gold script lettering that read, ‘Celebrate Life.’ I have found there is no better way to do this than to sing at the top of my lungs along with Toto. I found so much joy signing ‘Africa’ the other day, tears actually ran down my face. I don’t know if it’s because I love the song so much or that I am so incredibly thankful that I didn’t lose my voice after surgery. When faced with the possibility of losing it, having a voice really is something to celebrate. Honestly, I could have also been just really excited to finally be alone in my car. I love my family, but alone time can be amazing for the soul.

I have decided to celebrate life by saying ‘yes’ to a lot of things. As parents, we often feel compelled to say ‘no’ and, man is that a drag! Cancer changes your perspective and helps you realize that the little things in life really are worth celebrating and saying ‘yes’ to. I’m saying yes to staying up late, yes to new shoes, yes to cookies for breakfast, and yes to TV binges both for me and the kids. All of which is okay. Life really is great and so much of it is worth celebrating. As much as cancer does totally suck, it could be so, so much worse.

A Scarf.

There were actually two scarves, one hot pink and one aqua. During the summer of my diagnosis and surgery, we had already planned a beach vacation and were scheduled to leave 10 days after surgery. My surgeon gave me the okay to go but only if I made sure the surgery site was always completely covered, protected from sun and water. I cannot think of a better way to accessorize a bathing suit in the middle of the summer than with a scarf.

I was nervous about the trip for a multitude of reasons but despite my worries, I found that burying your feet in the sand really does have therapeutic properties. Walking along the surf is often exactly what the doctor ordered. Laughing with your family while teaching your children the game of Spoons is incredibly good for the soul. Watching your daughter win the Spoons championship is the icing on the cake! Or in this case, the cream on the pie. I had a slice of key lime pie twice a day, every day, for an entire week; which I do believe had a positive effect on my overall healing. Our Lady of Emotional Eating, pray for us. 

I wore those scarves every day. There is no doubt people thought I was totally nuts. Picture it: me in a black and white retro one-piece, large brim black hat, and a hot pink scarf. If that isn’t the image of a high maintenance weirdo, I don’t know what is. Truthfully, if I had even one shit to spare, I still would not have given it. I wore those scarves with pride and let my flag fly. Be weird. That’s okay, too.

I discovered that days can be very much like the beach waves – some good, some not so great, some perfect. The important thing isn’t so much the quality of the day, but that the water is continually flowing. The best thing I can do is to give myself space to feel however or whatever I feel on any given day. An exercise in peace and patience. Either way, good days or bad, it’s okay.

These three gifts turned out to be a true reflection about life. We are all going to have times that suck. There may be days, weeks, or months that suck, and it may be really awful, but no matter what, hold on to the promise that it will get better.  It will. Remember that there is always something to celebrate. Even the tiniest, smallest thing can be celebrated. Sing in the car. Laugh with your kids. Buy yourself the shoes. Have a cookie for breakfast. Let your freak flag fly. Be you. Be the best you, you can be no matter what. Because it’s our life to live the best way we know how, and all of it is so totally and completely okay.”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Melanie Forstall, 45, of Baton Rouge Louisiana. You can follow her journey on Instagram here and Facebook here. Do you have a similar experience? We’d like to hear your important journey. Submit your own story here. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.