Win or lose?

With today being Cancer Survivor’s Day, I find myself reflecting on what it means to be a ‘survivor’, but also has my heart aching for those who hung their ‘survivor’ hats up for good…

I’ve never liked it when people say someone has “lost their battle against cancer.” I know no one who says that does so with malice. I just can’t help but wish for another term to better honour those who have passed without crediting cancer with a ‘win’.

Each of those warriors whose life was taken and who fought through pain, fear, uncertainty, and grief did not go through physical hell, only to be inadvertently labelled a ‘loser.’ Like it is somehow their own fault that their physical bodies was ravaged beyond repair by a relentless foe. They deserve more.

I choose to rather think of it like those warriors were promoted to a higher rank… A rank reserved for those who maxed out their fighting capabilities until they had no more to give. A higher rank that will serve as inspiration for those who are left behind and those who learnt from their journey. A higher rank where cancer lost its plot to steal and destroy everything good that came from a warrior’s journey.

It was time for them to retire from the battle, take their medal of honour, and find peace away from their battered earthly bodies. It does not and will not ever make them less of a warrior.