With Summer in full swing, many of us recall the boardwalk fun, rides and games and some are fortunate to bring their children and grandchildren into those magical spaces. Since I have fear of heights, no ferris wheels or roller-coasters for me, the Scrambler and Tilta Whirl were my speed. Perhaps a good thing because nothing scrambles or tilts the world like a cancer diagnosis. Helping patients navigate as a life profession can surely make my own head tilt.

This week I enter the pet scan unit knowing a darling patient and her husband are bracing for the news. I treated Isabelle seven years ago for a devastating stage four diagnosis with brain, spine, lung, liver, skin….. everything involved. A miracle ensued and new drugs that had just arrived were available and now, so many years, scans and essentially a lifetime have past. We are thrilled to see each other and now her children are in high school and college and although she has some challenges, they enjoy a wonderful and wonder-filled life. I escort her husband to waiting and he carries her purse, twisting the handle with big frightened eyes. What a toll this journey has taken, but together their smiles beam as they give each other energy. They are both so profoundly brave. While I am not a radiologist, and must await the official report, I’ve seen enough and especially Isabelle’s to give them a view. Scrolling through every few millimeters, there is no uptake to suggest cancer at all, I tell them there is nothing obvious but the report will be out after the 4th. We all hug with sighs of relief. She and her family know that every day is a gift and every scan a chance for a terrible tilt of their worlds again.

I am blessed to see patient for years. Some for their lifetimes. What I have learned is that the shocking diagnosis isn’t the event, in fact neither is the treatment. The scans are interesting but they do not make a life. I was fortunate to do a symposium with the renowned Dr. Bernie Siegel who wrote “How to Live Between Office Visits“(1993) . He is not kidding. Being brave and carrying on in spite of the scrambled life is where real living happens. You are not alone. Just as with Princess Kate, who this week bemoans the efforts to stay “normal” after a cancer diagnosis, long past the therapy, there is a changed life.

My message today, if your doctor is not seeing you long term, find a primary care who can help you. Living beyond the diagnosis takes work. There is traumatic stress, depression, fear and anxiety. Help comes from talking with others, sometimes medication for you and your loved ones, psychological and physical therapies. You can’t throw the trauma and diagnosis out . It actually recycles in your mind and heart. Do not, however, lose faith. You will not be the same person. You cannot go back. The specter of the drama remains. But, so too the benefits of recognizing what and who are important to you and how you master each day. The raised awareness is empowering beyond expectation. My friends, nothing will change you like cancer. We cannot guarantee longevity, but be assured in the knowledge that like Isabelle and her family, for what ever time we have, a new life well- lived still awaits.