Is your story good enough?

Isn’t it funny how sometimes when you give a piece of advice to someone that that same advice smacks you in the face? I think God allows me to say stuff to people at times because its really what I need to hear and I won’t hear it unless I say it out loud to someone else. I was introduced recently to a lady also going through breast cancer. I reminded her to not compare her journey with what others are going through because everyone’s experience is so very different.

Guess what? I found myself the very next day comparing my situation with someone else’s. When you start hearing about the road that others have walked it is so easy to say to yourself, “Wow they have gone through so much more than me, maybe I should just keep quiet and not share my experience because they have the ability to add more value than me because they have suffered more.” It’s very easy to discount yourself and play down your experience because you feel that you will add less to the conversation than someone else.

Do you know how many different kinds of breast cancers there are? 18. And within those 18 types of cancers there are several different types of receptors that go along with them. So even if you are diagnosed with the same breast cancer as someone else, it’s the receptors that go along with it that determine the severity of the cancer and its treatment. Speaking of treatments, there are about a gazillion different ways to treat breast cancer. I know several ladies who got diagnosed around the same time I did. None of us had the same treatment. The one girl that I do know who  had the same chemo concoction as I did had a completely different physical reaction to it than me. We are all different. We respond physically and emotionally in a unique way.

That’s why your story needs to be shared. Because you can relay your story better than anyone else. You will say something that will resonate like no one else can. I like meeting women that are traveling the same road as me. I learn something new with each person I meet. I honestly never thought I would be talking about my boobs this much but hey, it’s the road I am on and there is comfort in knowing that others can relate to what I am going through.

So wherever you are today, in a hospital, a board room, your home or on the playing field remember that you and your story are important. You can add the one thing to the lives of others that another person can’t add. You. Don’t disqualify or discount yourself because your story is different. Celebrate the differences and keep moving forward.