“As nature draws men to each other, so in this matter also there is an attraction which makes us desirous of friendship.”
- Seneca, Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter 9
Theme of the Week: The Strength of Friendship
After my stem cell transplant, life was completely different than the life I had lived before. It was a scary, stressful, and unfamiliar time for me.
I was in cancer recovery; my professional life was rocked, my friendships had changed, my social life was non-existent, and my sense of self was genuinely ripped apart.
As a person who had previously thought I had to withhold my emotions to appear strong, asking for help was not an easy thing to do. I thought it was a sign of weakness to call the people in my life and tell them how I was feeling. I was scared they wouldn’t understand or know how to support me. And I was also scared to become a burden to these people.
On two separate occasions during this period, for the first time in my life, I cried in front of two good friends of mine.
Walking them through certain things that were going on during my treatment led to a few tears. I felt, in those moments, that I needed to let it out to them.
Not only did these moments help me understand the importance of support from others, but I was also shown that these people have the capability to hold me and want to support me. Who am I to take that away from them?
And on the flip side, I created access. My friends then opened up to me about parts of their lives, which created an even deeper bond between us.
The lesson here is is: when you are in need, call the friend.
Stay strong, even when you are not. It’s okay, you are not alone.
With love always,
Michael Argyrides
