Breast Cancer blog | A second chance... and a new chapter

I’ve started a new chapter in my life - one where I am attempting to forge ahead fully. I’ve returned to the U.S. and moved to a new city to pursue the PhD marathon. I am excited about change - at times almost giddy and in semi disbelief that for the next few years I will have a second chance at being a student.
A few months ago I seriously wondered what my fate was, and was convinced that (pity me) I would need to put my life and future on hiatus, but it looks like I’ve been given the greenlight to move ahead. The words 'second chance' play in my mind like a revolving record. I feel like someone who has dodged a bullet.
That said, against the celebration is a full understanding that my health and wellness are now in my hands, and I am in the driver’s seat.

Since leaving Hong Kong good friends back at home have reminded me of the importance of steering far from the rat race. “Don’t ever overwork yourself,” one wrote. “Remember your health when studying and work only 40 hours,” another good friend cautioned. The father reminds me that in the grander scope of life it is better to be the tortoise than the hare. The irony is that the university where I’ve landed has a Terrapin as a mascot, a constant reminder that is it better to be slow and steady rather than treat life as if it is a sprint or tsunami.
