IN YOUR OWN WORDS THE BIG C BY RAELENE JOHNSON, VOICE VENDOR FIRST, I WANT TO THANK everyone who has been there for me – especially those customers who have become friends over the years. In October, I was told I had cancer, and for the next five days, things went fast. I am grateful the cancer was found so early, but with all of this, I felt numb. I felt shut down. On Halloween afternoon, I had surgery, and so far, everything has continued to go quickly. Radiation is not so bad. I will be done with it in three days. Chemo starts in January. I thank my higher power for [inspiring] all of the self-talk poems I have written. When you have to go through hard times, if you allow negativity in, you will call bad things to you. The universe will give you what you want. I choose to stay positive. Always! My self-talk poems have given me the strength and positivity I need to get through my cancer treatment. I feel like I’m on a rollercoaster of emotion – from not believing I have cancer to wondering what’s next, scans happening quickly to find it, surgery to test it, radiation and chemo to stop it. I think chemo will be the hardest to go through. I know I have a good team to take care of me. My primary doctor had cancer, so when she learned that I had it, she made sure I had access to her team of doctors to treat me. When I found that out, I felt blessed. I know I am in great hands! Most days, I’m okay, but there are bad days. On the days I feel sad, I catch myself and say, “It’s okay. You will be okay. It was found so very early. Stay positive. It is just a bump on the road of life. Just one more fight to win.” So now, my memories are of life before cancer and soon, life after cancer. Once I get through chemo, I will go for a check-up every six months to keep an eye on my body and make sure the cancer doesn’t come back. I just ask for your prayers. The best thing to come out of this is that I didn’t pass the cancer gene on to my children. I have told them, “If you get cancer, you can’t blame it on me.” I think of how bad it would be to pass that on. ■ RAELENE JOHNSON. CREDIT: CORTNEY TABERNA “ICE SCULPTURE” BY GIGI GALEN January 2024 DENVER VOICE 11
12 Publizr Home