@sabwal It's good that you told your mom. How did you mom take the news? How did you feel when you told your mom? Had my mom still been alive when I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer she would have been the first I called.

Like @denisestlouie I told very few people. My original diagnosis was in 2019 and I had a recurrence in 2021. There are still many people I encounter in my work and social lives that do not know and I won't tell them. Like @ffr my priorities have certainly changed. I have become more introspective and I place priority on my close relationships with my family and very close friends in a way that I did not do before my diagnosis.

I read "Gone with the Wind" when I was about 15 years old. I loved the resilience of Scarlett. That's an excellent description of Scarlett. Prior to the war she was completely unprepared for life. That's also the story of Ada in Cold Mountain. At one point in the book (and film) Ada says this: "I can talk about farming in Latin. I can read French. I can lace up a corset. I can name the principal rivers in Europe, just don't ask me to name one stream in this county! I can embroider but I can't darn! I can arrange cut flowers but I can't grow them!"

I hope you keep posting your essays here, Denise. I find wisdom in your words that I can use and apply in my own life.