This poem reminds us that if we close ourselves off to pain, we will also be closed off to beauty and contentment.
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CLEAR ALL
When Valorie Kondos was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer, it would have been easy for her to descend into despair and hopelessness.
Coping with cancer is hard. It is an emotional ordeal as well as a physical one, with known and somewhat predictable psychological responses. And yet, patients often feel isolated and alone when dealing with the stress, anxiety, depression, and existential crises so typical with a cancer diagnosis.
“My predominant feeling is one of gratitude. I have loved and been loved. I have been given much and I have given something in return. Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and adventure.
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