On My Celebrating 18 Years Cancer-Free

Last week, on October 17, 2013, I celebrated 18 years since my last cancer treatment.  I put a post on Facebook and Twitter about it and was overwhelmed at all the warm comments and support from so many. Although it may sound strange, it’s only in the last few years that I really recognized this date as a time worth celebrating. Prior to that it was something I quietly acknowledged to myself, but didn’t make mention of it so as not to draw attention to it. It’s only after all these years that I realize how significant my beating cancer truly is. How could I not have seen this before?

I believe that part of the reason is that shortly after winning my battle with cancer, I had another battle to face. I lost the most amazing job I’d ever had as District Sales Manager in a major publishing company (oddly enough not knowing at the time that I'd ever become an author myself ) as part of a corporate downsizing. It seemed that just after getting back on my feet from cancer, I got knocked down again and had to figure out what was next for me job-wise.  

I decided to go back to school to study web design so that I could jump on the hi-tech bandwagon that was really big in my city  at the time.  It seemed like the ‘safe’ route to go since there was so much job opportunity in the hi-tech industry.  Sadly, less than two years later when the hi-tech industry started to come crashing down, just two days before Christmas, the .com company I was working for at the time let half the staff go. Guess what, I was in the half that got let go. All I can say is ‘AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH, here we go again’.  I couldn't believe that I was being downsized again and two days before Christmas to boot. So much for the 'safe' route.

It just seemed that there was very little time to coast in between life setbacks and to fully appreciate and celebrate my success in triumphing over my cancer. I was so busy just trying to survive and pick myself up again that I didn’t really take the time to step back and revel in the glory of beating a life threatening illness like cancer.

In hindsight, the day of that last cancer treatment has always been a day worth celebrating because it marked the end of a chapter in my life and the beginning of a new one. There’s no doubt that beating cancer helped me put some of the other setbacks like losing my job into a more proper and positive perspective. I just didn’t see it at the time. I’m just happy that I have finally come to see it now.  I believe that it’s good to take that step back from time to time and fully appreciate some of the hardships and adversities you’ve overcome. When you remember and fully recognize the strength you’ve shown in the past, it can help you gain perspective and resilience for dealing with whatever you may be facing today or what you may have to face tomorrow.

After beating cancer at age 29 and conquering her stress, weight and lifestyle challenges once and for all, Roslyn Franken is back stronger than ever! She is a world-class motivational speaker who provides audiences with an unforgettable experience that brings hope, inspiration and proven life principles to overcome challenges and lighten up for good to a happy, healthy and resilient life.

To book Roslyn for speaking engagements, personal coaching and purchase copies of her book, The A List: 9 Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living, visit, http://www.roslynfranken.com

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