.png)
“After”
- Surviving Breast Cancer
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
By Amy Banocy
“After” isn’t the end. It’s the beginning of a different kind of becoming.
Because cancer leaves reminders.
In scar tissue.
In muscle tightness.
In phantom pain and itching (oh my god - the worst!).
In altered relationships.
In the fear that still shows up during follow-ups and scans, and every time you feel something “off” in your body.
But it also leaves strength and resiliency.
A fierce devotion to authenticity and living this one precious life the best way we can.
A deep knowing of what matters and what doesn’t.
A reconnection with Self (your Soul Self with a capital S)
We get to carry both. It’s a duality.
We get to feel pissed off that we still have limitations and proud that we keep showing up anyway.
We get to cry because it’s still hard, and celebrate how far we’ve come.
We get to rewrite the narrative of what being a survivor even means.
Because we get to define what comes next.
Not society.
Not a f*cking pink ribbon or the ring of a bell.
Not the people who say, “Aren’t you just glad to be alive?” (Yes, I am. And also, please stop.)
To my fellow survivors:
If no one told you lately… it’s okay if your survivorship doesn’t look like anyone else’s.
It’s okay if your body still aches.
If your emotions are still on a rollercoaster.
If you’re still figuring it all out.
You’re allowed to feel everything. You’re meant to feel everything.
Full permission to evolve.
To rest.
To rage.
To dance.
To reclaim.
To begin again and again and again.
There is no timeline, my love.
There is no script.
And there sure as sh*t is no one-size-fits-all version of this life as a survivor.
There’s just your truth.
And that’s more than enough.
I love you!
Connect with Amy: https://www.instagram.com/amybanocy/
Share your poetry:
SurvivingBreastCancer.org Resources & Support:
