Why Not Me?

I have a friend who’s in for the battle of her life. In 2010 she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. After bouts of chemo and radiation, she seemed fine up until this past November. Seems the cancer had spread. The doctor didn’t give her or her family much hope. She wanted to go home. Her wish was to make it to Christmas. She did, and has felt better and stronger as each day passes. She is truly a miracle in the making.

I talked with her briefly before Christmas. She seemed upbeat and cheery, and though still bedridden, the girl manages to get around. With tons of love and support, I can see where she found the needed strength and stamina to carry on. She told me she started writing her autobiography last year. She calls it, Why Not Me? Her story begins as she’s sitting in chair number 13 while receiving her first round of chemo treatments. As of this post, my friend, who I’ll dub as Wonder Woman, went out to a restaurant for the first time in months.

This made me suddenly take stock. When something bad happens to us, our natural reaction is to say, “Why me?” When someone wins a lottery, they’re more inclined to say, “Why not me?” When we’re met with the most challenging situations in our lives, we tend to hide, whine or complain until it passes. And yes, it does pass.

Wonder Woman taught me that in life, we must learn to take the positive with the negative. It builds strength and stamina, humility and gratitude. We’re in this life together and learn from one another. After all, this is why I started writing in the first place—to make a difference by sharing my experiences with others through the trials and triumphs of my characters—one story a time.