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Magali Mertens De Wilmars

Salivary gland cancer survivor

ForTheChance to use a traumatic experience as a springboard to create beautiful projects out of it

 

When I was diagnosed with salivary gland cancer, I didn’t know how much mutilating the surgery would be. Thanks to the techniques today, they reconstruct quite well my tongue and face.

But I wish a better “after treatments” support system would exist. This lack of accompaniment has deleterious effects on your self-esteem, your financial situation, your professional situation.

This is the reason why I started a blog called “Vie & Cancer” (Life & Cancer) to raise awareness on the issues patients have to face even though they are “lucky survivors”. I trained a year to become a certified coach in order to support other survivors. I wrote a book, I share coaching tips on a radio chronicle twice a month, I founded a non-profit to help people regarding work rehabilitation after cancer. But still, I feel it is not enough… The problem is, we are raising billions for the research (which I acclaimed) but nothing to help getting back on track on the life after… We don’t want to survive, we want to live!

I wish society wouldn’t consider a luxury or worst, a waste, to invest on a better support after cancer. But instead to see it as an investment, a faith in human nature. It will also show that our world value people in their better conditions as well as their worst. You never know if you won’t be the next.

I have a vision of a better world, where you are valued as you, a person in its whole complexity. Our differences make us stronger! I know for a fact that event if the experience is quite traumatic (and it is a euphemism), survivors developed a lot of resources: time management, stress management, better sense of prioritisation, self-awareness, empathy… All of the quality that makes us better at being human!

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