I awoke this morning to snippets of Elizabeth Edwards interview last night with Katie Couric on 60 Minutes. Both she and her husband have been criticized for the decision to continue with John Edwards campaign to run for president despite her recurrence of breast cancer.
I loved her response. "Either you push forward with the things were doing yesterday or you start dying. I don't want to do that. I choose to live."
Inspirational words to anyone who's fighting breast cancer or any other disease. "I choose to live." It sounds strong. It sounds purposeful.
"I choose to live." It's what keeps everyone going. Keeping your eye on the future. Looking forward to the next day, no matter how hard or what challenges it may bring. By making the announcement that her cancer had returned and she would learn how to live with the disease, she'd made the choice.
Over the last few months, I've learned about making that choice and redefining who I am. It is not the cancer who defines who I am but I am someone who lives with cancer. I am also a wife, a mother, an editor, a church member, a stamp collector and more. I choose to live as well and fight the disease and talk to others about continuing to live.
Elizabeth, you keep choosing to live and so will I.
