The Miracle

The Miracle

If you’ve never faced a cancer diagnosis (and I hope you don’t ever have to!), it’s hard to imagine the massive emotions and level of fear that overcome you. Your mind immediately goes to the darkest place possible. And when you’re a mom, that place is a REALLY dark one…what if my kids have to grow up without me?? While trying to digest the news, the word cancer pops into your head often, and it literally sucks the breath right out of your chest every time. I think I cried more during those first weeks of the diagnosis process than I’ve cried in my whole life put together. I knew I needed to get my act together and be strong for my kids. I also knew that it would require all of my strength to fight this battle. But at the beginning, I couldn’t seem to muster it up. I felt broken. I felt like the world was over. Even worse, I judged myself for not being able to quit crying and start being a warrior.

But then something amazing happened. I shared my news with those around me, and the love, support, and SO MANY prayers started flooding in. I don’t know if you believe in prayer, or the power of positive thinking, or God, or the love and energy of the universe, but I am here to tell you that, regardless of what you believe, there is something really POWERFUL about so many people thinking healing thoughts, praying for your recovery, and believing in your complete healing. And, in addition to all these prayers and all this support, people seemed to BELIEVE IN ME. They believed that I was strong enough WIN THIS BATTLE. They believed that I could use my circumstance to HELP and INSPIRE others. While the magnitude of that was a little overwhelming at first, it started to make ME BELIEVE I could do it too.

And then one day, quite suddenly, like a light switch being flipped on, a shift happened. I had been feeling the love and support building up around me. I could feel all the prayers. I could feel the power of so many thoughts lifting me up. And in that “light switch” moment, I suddenly had clarity. My story wasn’t OVER because of my diagnosis. I had been handed this challenge because I was STRONG ENOUGH TO OVERCOME IT, and because I would be able to use my story to HELP OTHERS. Even though I was still scared, and even though it still felt a little unfair, I realized that there was meaning and purpose in the journey I was on. God wasn’t done with me…He was simply setting me up to make a bigger impact. Woah. That realization set a fire in me. Not only did it give me strength to take this battle head on, and beat it for the sake of myself and my family, but it also showed me that in living my journey and sharing my story, I could make a difference for others. After that light switch was flipped, I never turned back. The tears dried up, and the warrior came out. I suddenly had 100% confidence that I was MEANT to come out the other side stronger, happier and healthier than ever before; that I was MEANT to walk this path so that I could use my experience to help people. That I was STRONG ENOUGH to do this.

And here’s the miracle moment that occurred less than three months after beginning treatment for aggressive, stage 4 breast cancer…

Miracles ARE possible. There IS power in your thoughts. Prayers WORK. I did the hard work and I endured the treatment, but there were most definitely MIRACLES at work here.

XOXO,

Malea