Survivor Story: Cathy Scibelli

Three years ago, I was diagnosed with a large cancerous tumor in my right breast and a “mass” in the lymph nodes under my right arm.

I take responsibility for the dire diagnosis, because I had noticed a swelling and pain in my breast around the beginning of November. Since I had been diagnosed with cysts before, I thought I just had another one. I was busy with work and the holidays were approaching, and I didn’t want to take the time to go for a mammogram. So, I decided to wait until early January to get it checked.

When I heard my diagnosis, my first reaction was to think, “I’m going to die!” I walked around in shock for about a week. Then something happened inside me—I got mad. I thought of all the things I had postponed doing; I thought about my father’s life cut short from lung cancer at age 47. And I decided that I was going to take charge of whatever life I had left and live it to the fullest.

I started chemotherapy and complimented it with a diet and exercise program. I bought meditation tapes that focused on healing. I read every positive thing I could get my hands on, like stories of survivors who had beat all the odds and were living exciting and productive lives. And I started writing, something I had dreamed of doing for years.

It wasn’t easy. I had some side effects from the chemotherapy, the recovery from the mastectomy was painful and difficult at times, and the daily grind of the radiation treatments that followed seemed endless after I had already been in treatment for the past six months. But I was helped tremendously by the support of my breast cancer “sisters” who had walked the path before me, and the love of family and close friends.

Now, from my vantage point several years later, having just started this year with a “normal” checkup, I’d like to offer you a quote attributed to Gracie Allen: “Never put a period where God has placed a comma.” When I was diagnosed with the late stage breast cancer, I thought that my life was about to end, period. But the year I spent battling breast cancer turned out to be just a comma, a pause before going on.

And you know what I discovered? What comes after the comma can be really awesome.

My whole attitude toward life and what is important has changed. I don’t sweat the small stuff anymore and find myself actually laughing at some of the things other people get so worked up about. I’ve made many wonderful, caring friends in my new sisterhood of breast cancer survivors. I’ve had articles and stories published in books, magazines, and newsletters. If I didn’t have that pause to reevaluate my life, I very likely would never have experienced all of this. So don’t let a breast cancer diagnosis frighten you into thinking God has placed a period in your life. Think of your treatment time as a comma and know that although your life won’t be the same after the pause, what comes next might surprise you in delightful ways.