“You’re Looking Like Your Old Self”

I can’t speak for all of us suffering through brain tumors or spinal cord tumors, but I’ve spent much of the past 15 months since surgery in the safety of my home if I wasn’t at rehab or the Doctor’s office or hospital. Don’t get me wrong, this one time social butterfly did not become a hermit. When I wasn’t doing my monthly chemo, once in a while I would hit a happy hour at my fave watering hole or try my hand at bingo at another spot I enjoy. In the summer, I frequented the complex’s pools for not only some sun, but for the low impact benefit of exercising in water.

Now, as I enter my second summer with a new “cancer free” decree from the Doc, I am spreading my wings a bit, (social butterfly, remember?) and getting back into a groove I thought I might have lost. To say the least, it is proving to be very rewarding.

It’s hard to see growth when you’re right in the middle of it. By getting out and about, I’m getting feedback I would never get sequestered in my own little world. In just the past few days, I’ve been told that I’m getting around much better, that I look great and my favorite, “You’re looking like your old self.”

This whole ordeal took a huge chunk of my confidence away and I’ve been struggling to get at least some of it back. Thanks to good friends and a partner who truly loves me, I’m finding my way back to me. I’m learning that my limp or paralyzed hand does not define me. I am still the same person I was before the brain tumor...with a few modifications and certainly many, many lessons learned.