Lori-Lynn's Story!
My biggest challenge, to be completely honest had a lot to do with the hair loss. My whole appearance really, has gone through a drastic change. I'm fortunate in the sense that I did not go through a lot of the things you think of when someone tells you they had cancer. I didn't have some of the extreme symptoms that a typical patient deals with. Most of what I have dealt with centers around fatigue, and changes to my appearance. However, that can be difficult in and of itself as I don't identify with the patients who have extreme nausea, weight loss and so on. Going back to work was tough. I had dropped in here and there, but the day I was told I was in full remission, I dropped into work without my wig. The people you work with often feel like family so it's and adjustment for everyone an you never know how each person is going to react.
There are days where I feel like nothing is changed. Some days it seems surreal and that it hasn't fully sunk in. Where it's still so new for me, I find myself still pretty laid back. My outlook on life is a lot different. I've always been an "it is what it is person" but now it's changed to "i'll do what I can". I've always been up front and honest about anything i've gone through, and my coworkers always find it amazing that i'm willing to talk about it with them. I've had anxiety for a long time, but a lot of that has gone away because you just learn not to worry about things that you literally cannot control. I was incredibly surprised that my anxiety would go away because of this. My diagnosis really showed me the strength I had within me.
Joining Light The Night had a lot to do with other individuals going through something similar to me. It helped knowing that we were in it together and that I wasn't on my own. Seeing other people like me, whether I spoke to them or not, it just helped a lot. Knowing that I'm not alone - Light The Night was something my family could do together. It was nice to be able to do the walk with my nieces. Every time I'm with them and we are by the hospital, they say "Auntie! Remember the walk!" It's a really good memory to have with them. It just shows you how much support there is there for you.
It's really important for anyone to support Light The Night, because you never know when it's going to hit close to home. If you're a family or business etc, you just never know who you are around who is dealing with this.
