Thank you, Abby. I can only speak for myself but here it is: Before I was diagnosed with cancer I thought that diagnosis would be the worst thing in the world to hear. For a while it was. I had stage 3C breast cancer which involved more than 10 lymph nodes. My right breast is now gone, I've had chemo, lost my hair (found a beautiful wig that looked just like my real hair), had 30 radiation treatments, and am now more than a year past all of that.

There is always the thought of a recurring cancer but I'm enjoying life far more than I did and I'm so grateful for the wonderful care I received. Throughout it all, everyone involved treated my cancer as a hurdle to get over, not a death sentence, and that's how I approached it, too. I called it a major inconvenience. Nothing more.

By the way, I'm 81 years old and expect many more years of good health. I could be wrong but I'd rather be positive about it and enjoy the rest of my life than be in a state of constant worry. That's not how you beat negatives in your life. I'm a firm believer that attitude has as much to do with healing as medicine does.

So while I appreciate your concern, let it be known that most cancer survivors don't consider themselves victims--we're actually victors. We're still here.