Survivor voices: Kristel, a breast cancer survivor

We are so honored to share today’s "Survivor Voices" feature with a snippet taken from an interview with Kristel Boon, a breast cancer survivor, who lives in Okotoks, Alberta with her husband and two sons. 

Though Kristel’s initial diagnosis was over four years ago, her powerful words on survivorship speak so honestly to how many survivors in our community feel after cancer. 

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“Depending on the day, my thoughts on survivorship change. At the time of my diagnosis, I had this strong feeling of “I’m too young to die, there’s so much I still want to do!” Now four-and-a-half years from my diagnosis, it sometimes feels like a bad dream."

"Survivorship feels surreal at times. Our life, my family’s life, was turned upside down and we made it out the other side. I have learned that you don’t really know or realize what you’re capable of until you’re faced with a situation.”

“I created #SeeBeautyFeelMagic to capture moments in my life, no matter how little they are. I need to focus on what I CAN do and not so much what I can’t."

"I realized that before my diagnosis, I was living my life on 'auto-pilot' and I needed to rethink a lot of things in life. I’ve learned that spreading kindness where and when you can is important, as you never know what someone is going through. The reality of my diagnosis and survivorship is that I’m not able to work full time anymore, physically and mentally, and that’s a hard realization at times.” 

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