Living with a deadline
My name is Cate North, and I am a speaker, writer, and patient advocate focused on advanced cancers.
Cancer has been part of my life since my initial breast cancer diagnosis in 2000. In 2016, I learned I had stage IV (metastatic) breast cancer. Yet I am fortunate to have treatment options that many people with stage 4 cancer do not.
A cancer diagnosis of any kind delivers instant awareness of something we all know (yet tend to neglect): Life is precious. My mission is to use my cancer experience and communication skills to raise awareness of early detection, treatment advances, and living with greater meaning and intention.
Principles of Stage 4 Living
Stay in the game
Choose to be fully present and stay engaged, as best you can. Adapt as the rules change and respond to curve balls that come your way.
Lighten your load
Determine and focus on what matters. You have enough of a burden; let go of the petty stuff to live with greater ease and grace.
Honor the journey
Empower yourself by taking one step and one day at a time, bearing witness to the experience and finding purpose and meaning.
Meaning of the lotus flower
Rooted in mud, the lotus flower submerges every night into murky water and re-blossoms the next day in pristine condition.
That’s why I’ve adopted the lotus as a symbol for Stage 4 Living. We all have mud and muck to go through in life. We may not always emerge looking pristine, but the choice is ours to be as bright and beautiful as possible.
(Image: Pixabay)
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