Before being diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma, I was a very depressed individual. I was 17 at the time of diagnosis, and I had already spent the prior 4 years on different psychiatric medications, as I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder. When I learned of my diagnosis, I was obviously disheartened. My life had been so difficult already, having growing up in broken, toxic home raised in poverty. I thought, "WHY ME? Why must so many bad things happen, TO ME?"

I quickly learned that it happened FOR me, not TO me.

After I beat the cancer and entered remission, I had felt the most joy I had ever experienced in my life. Getting such a diagnosis made me realize I DID want the life that was granted to me. I realized each day is a gift, not a given right. I was no longer the girl with Major Depressive Disorder. In fact, I no longer suffered from depression after that. Yeah, I have good and bad days, but I learned that no matter what type of days I would have, they were great days, solely because I woke up that morning. I began viewing life through a completely different lens. The sun looked brighter, the grass looked greener, and the world looked bigger. I tell people to this day, "If I could go back in time and decide my own fate, I would allow myself to get cancer due to how it changed my perception of life."

I will go deeper in to my story in a book I am writing about my experience, which is still in the process of being crafted! Find me on social media: Angelina Maselli, or email me at masellipublication@gmail.com

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