Earlier this evening, I was thinking about what to say in a text to someone that I know who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. I haven't sent the text yet but my opener may be something along the lines of "welcome to the club that no one wants to join." Calling the vast world of cancer a "club" may seem like I am making light of the situation, but I can assure you that I hardly take cancer lightly.
Upon receiving a cancer diagnosis, your membership to the club is immediate and permanent. You are so quickly thrust into this horribly scary world that you can never leave. Sure, a lot of people get better, and the club does not take up as much of his/her time, but membership is always valid. That horribly scary world will fade some, but club members will always remember day 1.
The club has a different lingo - ports, pre-meds, chemo this, chemo that, margins, radiation, blood counts, boosts, mapping, hair loss, hair growth, scans, scares, trials, education, etc.
There are different divisions in the club. I am, obviously, a member of the breast division but have friends in other divisions. We all know the lingo and can all relate to each other. The club is way too big and members' hearts are even bigger.
We crave the company of each other, cheer for other members' victories, and shed tears for their setbacks. Complete strangers become instant friends, and we are immediately invested in each other's lives.
Club members learn a lot about themselves, each other, and non-members as soon as they are initiated and as they become more intertwined in the club. To be very clear, I would give just about anything to not be a member, but I have certainly learned a lot about myself; some good things and some things that I could have gone without knowing.
There's no real point to this post...just a thought that snowballed.
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