I am blessed with the gift of having a positive attitude and I understand that not everyone has that gift.  So it’s up to me to share my perspectives with all in hopes of shedding light on what might seem dark to someone else.

As a two time survivor of Ovarian Cancer, I know that only 73% of Stage IIB Ovarian Cancer patients survive 5 years.  Many people I’ve talked to focus and some even fixate on the death rate percentage and not the survival rate percentage.  I try not to think about percentages all together and take each day as a gift of more time with friends and family. More time to enjoy this wonderful earth we live on and plan for the future, yes I plan for the future because I don’t think about when my number is up.  So many people are taken away from us unexpectedly, without warning.  So I like to think that I’ve been given a warning and might not live as long as I had wanted or hoped.  So I take each day and make the best of it.  I am playing golf, I am spending time with friends, I am traveling to places I want to see and I am doing it now, while I can. I also take plenty of time to laugh. Laughter for me is some of the best therapy, especially a good belly laugh.

If you are one that worries about the percentages, take my advice and put your mind and body in the SURVIVAL percentage, not the death rate. You will live each day feeling you are special, you will be happier, you will experience less stress, and your life will be fuller. People around you will see you differently and will gravitate toward you because of your new found light.

Someone once said to me that only 7% of people with her type of cancer survive 5 years. To that I said, then you need to be in that 7%! She is and she shines!