Many friends, family and even strangers have sent me messages of support during my battle with breast cancer. I have recently begun making a compilation of all these messages. I have entitled this compilation 365 Gifts. I am in the process of copying and pasting all the FB messages that I received and saving them as a document. I plan to give this anthology to my children Andrei and Calista. Someday when they are much older, I want them to read all these messages. I hope these messages will give them the strength that they need and renew their faith in the kindness of humanity. I want 365 Gifts to be a reminder to my children that they too need to be able to open their hearts to those who need their love and support. There were days when I did not feel like fighting anymore, days when I wanted to wallow in self-pity. Sometimes I did not want to get out of bed. I wanted to be curled up in a fetal position and stay like that for a long time. It was during days like these, my darkest days that I read the messages over and over again. These short notes gave me the strength that I could not muster from within me. These messages came from friends miles away. Even people I did not know wrote to me. The love notes were like a lifeline to me. The lifeline pulled me out of the darkness, reassuring me that I was not alone and that I can get up and fight a bit more. I will forever be grateful to those who took the time to say hello and how are you. These were all acts of generosity and kindness and I am filled with gratitude. Maraming salamat. Early into my breast cancer journey, a wise cancer survivor warned me that sometimes, the people you expect to be there for you will be the ones who suddenly disappear. These are the friends who do not know what to say. They don’t know how they can support you. I am so thankful that I was forewarned that this can happen. When it happened, I was alright, I did not despair. God sent me others who showed me their compassion and concern. If you have a friend or a family member who is going through something difficult – it may be illness, unemployment, relationship break up, financial difficulties, grieving the loss of a loved one or depression, please don’t remain silent. Don’t run away. If you do not know what to say or how you can help, here’s a friendly reminder. Just send a short text, email or FB message and don’t expect an immediate response. Just let the other person know that you are thinking and praying for them. All you need to do is ask how they are. You’ll never know, it may be your message that will help them through their day. Don’t procrastinate, don’t take too long. Don’t hold back, do it now. The lifeline you give today will be a gift.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Jun 2013 11:58:57 +0000