On Saturday morning, I walked into the dance studio and found Olga standing by the reception counter talking with Vered. She had short blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. I remembered immediately noticing how healthy she looked and how beautiful she was. If cancer had taken any toll on her physically, there was no sign of it in her appearance. She had a tall and slim figure and her skin glowed. Dressed in black workout pants with a matching top, she seemed like a simple, down-to-earth woman.
Olga’s story is, to say the least, an inspiring one. It is an attestation of how a potentially deadly diagnosis can make you feel more alive than you ever have been, and free to be whoever you want to be, to live however you want to live, and to do things you hardly even dreamt you could. It’s not about sickness and struggle. It’s about life. It’s about transformation and, believe it or not, joy. It’s a story that will transform your notion of cancer and that will shed light on the gifts and opportunities hidden (not so deeply) in something most people consider to be devastating.