Facing Adversity with a Smile

This post is dedicated to my sweet friend Angelina*.  

Two weeks ago, I got together with a group of friends. We were celebrating the birthday of two of them.... like if we really needed an excuse to meet for Happy Hour.  This group is very dear to me because they are not only very close friends but also happen to be my colleagues (fellow court interpreters). 

We were all sharing stories and updates on our personal lives when Angelina made an announcement. "After six 'chemo's, 25 radiation sessions, a double mastectomy, I want to announce that on the 19th of February, I underwent my last radiation," she cheerfully stated.

All eyes were focused on Angelina at this point. "What???" we were all thinking, "... and she hid this secret for how long?" She kept this private for about a year. Only her immediate family, close relatives and health professionals involved in her treatment knew about it. She told us that she did not want people to look at her differently. She didn't want anyone to worry about her.

Her story is quite unique. She knew something was not right when she discovered a tiny bump on her breast. Mammograms and several other tests showed nothing abnormal. Doctors told her not to worry about it, to go home and to come back in 3 months or earlier if she noticed any changes. In less than a month, she was back at the doctor's office demanding more tests to be run -- she felt there was something wrong. At this point, the test results were positive for cancer.

Anyone who personally knows Angelina would agree with me. She always has a positive attitude, has a great sense of humor and a permanent smile painted on her beautiful face. It is not surprising that her bright joy could not be clouded by this disease. She opted to keep herself active and useful. She continued going to the gym and taking her regular load of work, for the most part.

As I was listening to the details of the long treatment and what she had gone through, my eyes teared up. I then asked her, "when did you have your surgery? I remember I gave you so many assignments through my agency. You were always happy to take long hours of work!!" She told me that her surgery had been on Black Friday. "Right before Thanksgiving???" I said, "you were working on Wednesday!!"

She laughed while sharing an anecdote with us about an assignment she had with a colleague in Wisconsin. This colleague said to Angelina, "I am tired and don't feel like driving. You drive." Angelina thought, "I just had my chemo a few days ago... but what the heck, I will drive." And she took over the steering wheel with the biggest smile on her face.

She then showed me her appointment book. She had marked her chemo sessions as "cocktail" and radiation as "tanning," her double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, labeled as "new look." She laughed as she was sharing this with me, amused at her own creativity. "Cocktails, tanning... Anyone who reads my appointment book would think I'm living THE LIFE."   She certainly is.

There are two great lessons to be learned from Angelina's experience.

Listen 

Listen to your body. Listen to your inner voice. All answers are within you. What would have happened if Angelina had listened to what the doctors originally recommended instead of listening to her own body? She would have gone home, forgotten about it and would have come back when it could have been too late to combat this illness.

Smile

Having a positive and optimistic attitude will take you far... beyond unimaginable limits.  An actual physical smile on your face changes the tone of your voice, your attitude, your mood... and it certainly affects the interaction you have with others.

*I am keeping my friend's real name confidential and using Angelina --- 

Honoring Angelina Jolie and her decision to undergo a double mastectomy.

Coming to this world is the most precious gift we all get at birth. Our parents, siblings, children are beautiful gifts as well. And we also have an invaluable gift that we sometimes forget we possess -- the gift of CHOICE.   We get to choose our friends, our careers, activities we enjoy, food, music, art we love. We also get to choose what we do... and what we don't do. Let's choose to see the positive in other people and in every situation. Let's choose to see the best in ourselves and in our lives. Let's choose to walk in life with a smile on our face.

I found this video on line. It made me smile.