“This is a wonderful day. I have never seen this one before.” ~Maya Angelou
Since being diagnosed with cancer in October 2020, I’ve started every morning the exact same way. I open my eyes, stretch my arms, and say, “Whew! Got another one!” I say this no matter how I’m feeling, and no matter what the day ahead holds for me.
I’m grateful for all my days, especially the tough ones (and there are a lot of tough ones), because at least I got to have them. And that wasn’t always an assumption. Some nights on this journey, I went to sleep with the fear that I might not wake up again. That’s not me being dramatic; that was a science-backed possibility. It’s never left me. It never will.
Now that I know how short my life could have been, I’m unendingly grateful for how long it now could be thanks to science, medicine, joy, and love. What a blessing to see every wonderful day.
Christa Avampato 