Cancer Is Beautiful

Cancer... one of the only six-letter words that I cannot hear or talk about without the rush of memories flooding back to me, or a tear coming to my eye. It is a beautiful thing. Yes, it is beautiful. I, myself, have faced the effects of cancer when I lost my baby cousin to a battle with Leukemia as a child. Yes, it practically forced me to grow up. But above all, cancer is beautiful. You may be wondering, "who in their right mind even dares to say something like that?" The writer. The performer. The one who can hide the grief with the flicker of a forced smile. The one with an ache in the heart. The one who has witnessed what beauty can come from this disease. The one in a constant struggle with the thoughts of having lost an innocent member of the family. The one who never forgot. Don't forget the beauty of cancer. Beauty? What is beauty? And what is the beauty found in cancer? If you have ever been in a situation where you visit someone with cancer, you realize that they never let you discover how much pain they carry with them on the journey through treatments. They don't give up. They fight. Through the bruises, chords, and hair-loss they always seem to have the brightest smile. They don't want you to feel sorry for them. Human Nature has somehow allowed us to forget this. For what reason do we cry? Are we shedding tears for the one in battle... or just in spite of ourselves? Think about it. Cancer is beautiful. It is through this sickness that family and friends are drawn closer together. Things are no longer taken for granted. Life becomes a gift. Hope is everlasting. Prayer is constant. And love is eternal. Look at cancer in this perspective and tell me how it cannot be considered beautiful. Cancer is beautiful. My cousin was a victim to this disease. She did not make it, but she lives on in spirit. She smiles at me when the sun shines. I have one of her teddybears to snuggle with every night. I look at her picture every day I see a little bald head and a smiling face. And slowly I think to myself, "Now isn't that beautiful?" Cancer is beautiful.