CHAPTER :
One diagnosis touches so many lives.
With entries from:
Mark Garza   —   10 years ago

One cancer diagnosis can affect so many people. It is so important that as we are touched, we think about all of those around us and how they are impacted, as well. Upon hearing the news of my father's diagnosis - so many things changed. He was told that he had 8 to 12 months to live, and we heard about this "Stage 4" thing, something so basic and well-known that was still a mystery to me. Lives were rocked. As the youngest of 4 kids, my family had been blessed with great news and success for so long. Things were great, and everyone seemed so happy. This news, this diagnosis, was all that it took to change everything. After only a few weeks of trying to figure out what was next, we got word of the tensions that were shaking my mom and dad. This quickly led to the news that they had separated - and things were looking bad. "I can't believe that" is something we hear all of the time when talking about this situation, but to tell you the truth, it is all too common. I often say that if a rock is cracked and you hit it on another rock - things happen, rocks break. My parents were apart for over a year, and eventually divorced, after 43 years together. I do not blame the cancer for the divorce, but do look at a cancer diagnosis as something so powerful, so jarring, so big that it can cause shock waves across worlds. I believe this happens more than we would like to acknowledge, and we need to start taking note. Mental Health and well-being is something that needs more attention around a cancer diagnosis. Getting support, giving support, and keeping families together can help us in our cancer journey.

If you are reading this, you have most likely been affected, touched by cancer. If you have not, odds are that you will be in the near future. This is the world we live in. The message I would like to share is that it is so important for ALL of the members of a community, of a support network, to take care of their minds and mental well-being. Staying strong, trying to find balance and keeping a positive outlook are key points to overcoming a diagnosis. Cancer can and will continue to take lives, but as a community, as a family, we must all look to seek help, seek support, and take care of the mental challenges with as much help as we can- so that we can best be empowered to beat cancer, for as long as we can. This message is to help change the conversation about therapy and counseling, to spread the word that togetherness and mental strength is key. Let's get the word out. Unity is Strength. - In memory of Dr. Richard Garza.

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