Cancer is only part of my journey

Do you really like being in the shadows? Dark places where gloom grows and fear lurks? Cancer is a scary part of our lives. Please do not let the dread overwhelm you. Poet Walt Whitman worked in hospitals during the American Civil War. He witnessed first hand the human body under extreme duress. Yet, he was able to write this. It might sound corny, but this is achievable by all. Those of us who regularly have sun-filled faces can attest to the positive power imparted.

“ Only thing we have to fear… is fear itself.” With those words, President Franklin D. Roosevelt calmed a panicked nation and set a very high bar for future Inaugural speechwriters. Sometimes fear is an emotion that sneaks up suddenly and works fast to incapacitate. This photo represents is one of my earliest experiences. I’m not the kid, but that is the old Cyclone roller coaster once a main attraction of the legendary Palisades Park. Located across from Manhattan on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River it was constantly advertised on summertime TV, comic books and on radio by iconic 60’s DJ “Cousin Brucie”. I begged, pleaded and cajoled for years to go. Finally, at age ten my dream came true. We arrived at twilight as the temperatures diminished along with the entrance fee prices. New York’s epic skyline twinkled from the east. Did we start on calmer rides to get acclimated? Hell, no not with my father. Never one to “baby” me because I was a girl, we left ...