What Claudie has learned living with cancer

When you smile, you receive smiles.

When you do something for someone, it makes the day nicer.

So, why not be in a good mood?

In the morning when I get up, I say, “Yes! One more day gained.”

I never sleep past 7am. I have no time to lose. I went snowmobiling with friends in the Charlevoix region.

And in a turn, the snowmobile fell on top of me. Mom, are you ok? Did you hurt yourself?

So, I went to the emergency room and the doctor called me two days later. He said, “Listen, yes we found a rib fracture on the right but we also found something a little suspicious on the left.”

After that, everything happened so, so, so fast. I received the call from the hospital telling me, “I am so very sorry but it is cancerous.”

In the beginning, I really believed that I would heal, but the treatments didn’t work.

At the end, they did a scan. Then they told me, “Unfortunately, it’s still there, so you only have a few months to live.” I couldn’t believe it.

It was impossible. I was devastated. I was terrified.

I decided that I only had two choices: Either I wake up in the morning and fold into a little ball and hide in my closet all day, or… You tell yourself, I will go out there and find everything that is positive in my day— and that would allow me to have better days.

I wrote to the doctors. I told them that I loved life, that I wanted to live and I couldn't believe that there was nothing else they could do.

Find me a solution, anything! I will try anything. I want to live. So, they suggested a few treatments and I would do them each time.

It’s been 5 years of non-stop treatments. There are bad days, but you tell yourself: the show must go on.

Me, I think about my grandchildren. So I think to myself, there will be better moments when I will hear them laugh.

That fills me with joy. It really is what gives me the energy to continue— but mostly to continue to believe.

The small miracles— you hang onto them. Each moment becomes more precious.

Since I got my cancer diagnosis, the birds sing louder, and they only sing for me.