Taking a vacation may be the last thing on the mind of a cancer patient.1 can be expensive, time-consuming and sometimes hard work. While people facing illness may be2 of resources for vacation, they are3 a stress-free time away. I'm one such4 .

I'm suffering from lung cancer. Diagnosed in March 2017, I was5 beyond belief. At that time, I was6 60 hours a week as a billing clerk. Due to my medications' side effects, I7 my career and what I thought made me who I was, though I now discover that8 is what matters.

Through the Internet, I 9 Little Pink Houses of Hope, a nonprofit that provided a free week-long 10 to cancer patients and their families. After applying and being 11 , we drove from Houston all the way to Hatteras Island in North Carolina. It rained most of the time, so I 12 the beauty along the way. I had no idea what to expect and was 13 . 

Looking back, I am so glad I went. I hadn't felt such14 love and such a sense of family. We went to the beach, had wonderful meals and went surfing which I had never thought I would get the chance to do. We15 in a way that I thought was impossible, not only with the other16 but also with the volunteers. It was nice to see my husband get along with the other husbands. Being a(n)17 and the breadwinner, " he had a lot on his plate.

I've suffered from the cancer for many years and I undergo18 every year. I want people to know that though I am living with a serious disease, I am still living19 . So don't feel sorry for me, but make the20 of life with me.