Samantha Lysk

Sicklerville, NJ
Survivor
Twist on Cancer: Life is full of the unexpected; sometimes for the better and other times not-so-much. And while we cannot control what happens to us, we can control how we respond. Yes, we can, of course, scream, cry, and question “why me,” but that doesn’t change what is. All it does is keep us feeling down, defeated, and helpless. And while we need to let all that out every once in a while, I have discovered that, for me personally, rather than wallowing in grief, I simply accept what I can’t control (I have breast cancer at the age of 38 and in surgically induced menopause at the age of 39) and focus on what I can control (my cancer care team, my chosen treatment, what shows I’m going to bring during me recovery, etc.). I choose every day to be grateful I found the lump early enough to still be here for my kids, that I was lucky enough to be treated by an excellent cancer team at MD Anderson without needing chemo, and that I can continue with life almost normally, even if my body no longer feels quite the same. Yes, some days are harder than others, and that’s okay. Because at the end of every tough day, is the beginning of new day with yet another opportunity to show cancer it messed with the wrong girl.