Hanan, Palestinian Territories

Hanan Sharabati,  patients Friends Society Jerusalem, Palestinian Territories

" It cannot shackle love"
I am a Palestinian retired English teacher supervisor in my 60s. I was diagnosed with colon cancer in early 2008 and, later, with breast cancer in 2016.

These were two tough experiences, each requiring volumes to describe. But when we choose faith and hope in God, anything becomes possible.

When I first entered the hospital, I came across a pamphlet that profoundly resonated with me. It read:

What cancer cannot do, with God’s help...

• Cancer is so limited.
• It cannot cripple love.
• It cannot shatter hope.
• It cannot corrode faith.
• It cannot destroy peace.
• It cannot kill friendship.
• It cannot suppress memories.
• It cannot silence courage.
• It cannot invade the soul.
• It cannot steal eternal life.
• It cannot conquer the spirit.

During my journey with the disease and its treatments, these words were not just lines on a page , they became my reality