How Cancer Changes You, and Why You Should Follow Your Heart Anyway

You know, cancer has a funny way of sneaking in uninvited, flipping your world upside down, and then leaving you to pick up the pieces while muttering, “Well, that was not on my to-do list.”

For a long time, I didn’t tell many people about my cancer. Maybe I was protecting myself, maybe I just didn’t want to be seen as “the sick one.” But at my high school reunion, surrounded by people I hadn’t seen in 50 years, I surprised myself—I shared with one or two people. And instead of regret, I felt… relief. Somehow, standing in the middle of old memories while sharing a piece of my present opened my eyes in a way nothing else could. It reminded me that life is happening now, that our stories don’t have to be polished or perfect to matter, and that sometimes being honest about our struggles helps not only us—but someone else who might need to hear it.

Suddenly, the little things matter. Laughing until your cheeks hurt with a friend you’ve known forever. Saying “I love you” without hesitation. Following your passion and finally starting that dream business. Booking the trip you’ve always dreamed about but kept putting off because, well… life happens.

Cancer teaches you patience, resilience, and how to live with questions that don’t always have neat answers. Me? I’m a Cancer (moon sign) and a dancer. Translation: I feel ALL the feels, and I move through them—sometimes gracefully, sometimes clumsily, but always forward. Life is a lot like dancing: you follow, you lead, you stumble, and then—you get back up again.

Through this experience my sister gave me a ring engraved with the words: “F__k it and begin again.” I wear it every day. It’s my reminder that it’s okay to fall apart, to hesitate, to screw up—but it’s never the end of the story. There’s always another chance. Another chance to love, to dance, to start fresh, to be bold enough to follow your heart wherever it’s tugging you.

And here’s where humor sneaks in(my personal secret weapon to survival): you might catch yourself bawling in the grocery store aisle, laughing uncontrollably at a dumb joke, or dancing barefoot in your kitchen at 9:30 PM just because you can. Cancer strips away the idea that you have endless tomorrows. And what’s left is the truth: life’s too short not to be messy, bold, and wildly, unapologetically alive. So, the joke is on us--there's never enough time or the right time for ANYTHING, yet there is! Begin again, every day.

So here’s my unsolicited advice: don’t wait. Don’t wait to say the words, take the trip, ask the person out, try the class, start the business, or dance that first dance. Life throws curveballs, yes. Sometimes they’re cruel. But sometimes they’re just a reminder: this is your shot.

I kept my story to myself for a long time. But now I believe it’s time to share—not because I want sympathy, but because if it nudges even one person to take their shot, to stop waiting, to follow their heart, then it’s worth every word.

It’s also part of why I’ve been inspired to keep building, to keep dancing, to keep creating spaces that are all about love—whether that’s in relationships, in celebrations, or in new beginnings. Love is the thread that ties it all together.

Cancer changes you, yes. But sometimes it clarifies, too. It shows you who matters, what matters, and just how strong you can be when you thought you weren’t. And if you’re paying attention, it whispers: “Go ahead. Follow your heart. Do it now.”

Because tomorrow isn’t promised. And the only regrets that really sting are the ones born of waiting too long.

So dance like no one’s watching. Love like it’s urgent. Live like every single second counts. And if you stumble? Remember my sister’s ring: F__k it and begin again.