I cannot tell you the number of times over these years that I have heard the words, “I wish I had cancer, that would be better than IC.”

It seems natural to wish that what was happening in one’s body-wasn’t. But, the old saying, “be careful what you wish for”, is something that I think is wise advice. In many of the cases where people made comments like that, they then faced other things that felt even more humbling and debilitating making the IC pale in comparison.

Why am I saying all of this? I think the reason is because, yesterday someone asked me about my faith in God, and my belief in the argument that things happen for a reason. For those that know me, you know that I have a very strong spiritual side, but, at the same time, my treatments are based strongly in medicine-and have nothing to do with my spiritual beliefs. Yet, how can one separate the human spirit from the human body? That is a question that has been contended with from the beginning of time and will be argued until long after I am no longer here, that is for certain.

However, I do think that interjecting human spirit along the struggle toward health is relevant. It is relevant in that there is a plethora of emotional struggle that goes on in this. And, one does have to ask question such as why, etc….

 Btu, as one asks those questions, it does seems that perspective can be lost in the suffering. What I mean is that, as suffering reduces and health improves, often, I notice that a person may continue to focus on the symptoms that are there instead of the ones that have disappeared or are disappearing.

I was speaking to a patient whom I adore yesterday, and all of this came to my mind. Because she has been through so much and come so far, yet, she is focused only on the small amount of symptoms she has lingering-and, none of them have to do with her bladder. The very thing that she wished to replace with cancer only three years ago. 

This struck me, especially this week as another unrelated story has been shared with me of a mother of a 7 year old at my daughter’s school is fighting for her life for the second time in her struggle against her brain tumor.

Although this woman’s path has been heart wrenching and difficult with brain surgery, chemotherapy, never ending trips to the doctor, MRIs, etc… no one would know that anything is wrong. She is nothing but loving and positive. Her struggle to survive, to live, to thrive is as big as her spirit and heart.

I hope my point is not coming across as judgmental toward anyone in this process. What I am trying to say is that each of us bares our own struggle. And in the face of it, we try to pick ourselves up and evolve through it and from it. But, it is so important as we do this to count our blessings each day, from the smallest to the biggest- and to remember to pay attention to all the wonderful things that have changed for the better. Any change is evidence that change is possible. And when we drink up all the little gifts in our lives-our children, our friends, our work, the flowers, the smell of the grass, the sound of the birds, the taste of water, the roof over our head that protects us from the elements, the clean food that we eat, just to name a few- we feed our bodies with the positive energy that life has given us to take in.
 
No matter what our problems are, they could be so much worse. If you need to remind yourself, think of all the things in life that you have not been subjected to. I do that myself when I am feeling sorry for myself. And then quickly, I snap out of it and come back to the blessed reality of my life as challenging as that has been for me.

I thank the universe for all of the wonderful things that have come my way and all of the awful things that have not. The challenges that have come, I have faced and dealt with. And, I am ever grateful for all of it, because if not for those, I would not be who I am today.

So be you and be thankful for who you are, and be strong!