~Wrinkled Wings~ Have you ever seen a butterfly emerge from its cocoon? Its wings are shriveled. The butterfly waits for the wings to expand before it takes flight. The process takes a little time. Cancer survivors after treatment have something in common with butterflies. They emerge from treatment a little beaten up, a little shriveled. It takes patience, self-compassion, and grit to heal. The process takes a little time. But the cancer survivor doesn’t just sit there and wait for her wings to expand. Instead, she goes to her doctor because she’s fatigued and her brain is foggy and she doesn’t know what to eat or how to gain strength. Her doctor tells her to go home and recover because there’s nothing the doctor can fix; it will all get better in time. So, she rushes back to her life, does what she’s always done. She wants to feel like she felt before, she wants to feel even better than that really, but nobody’s told her how to do this, and she feels alone. She tries to fly with wrinkled wings. And she falls. My butterfly, I'm here to catch you. There is something to be done. And you don’t have to do it alone. I know exactly what to do and why and how to do it. It is possible. You can fly. Author: Susan Ferrara/ Brio Survivor Wellness / briosurvivorwellness.com Artist: Cheryl Palmer / Cheryl Palmer Designs / [email protected] / Instagram @cherylpalmerdesign