Ashley,


Like you, I was HPV neg, non smoker, light drinker and at 33 considered myself young when I was diagnosed. It's easy to get bitter about things if you look at other people and compare their life to yours, just as it can make you feel more fortunate sometimes.

Take us for example...you caught yours early at stage 1, you're survival rate is great, your surgery minimal (in comparison to mine) and you didn't get the joy of radiation or chemo. I was a stage 4, lost half my face, had to go through chemo and radiation and my 5/10 year life expectancy is minimal in comparison to yours. Am I bitter? Nope, I'm happy for you and I'm just glad to be alive really.

Charm makes a good point, in cards it's not all about the odds...and really if you watch the pro's sometimes it's not about the hand your dealt...but how you play it. I've been classified as severely disabled and have been told I'm unhireable in the profession I had chosen due to the challenges I faced after treatment/surgery. Instead of taking that to heart, I started my own company and am working like a crazy person to keep up with the demands of a successful venture.

I would suggest a book for you that helped change my life..."Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankle (use the Amazon link on OCF's site to order!!). That book put things into perspective for me and I recommend it to everyone really but find it very good for cancer patients.

Keep your chin up,

Eric