Breast cancer saved Sheryl Crow's life, or at least she thinks so. Which is not something you'd typically attribute with anything positive.
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The iconic singer recently sat down with Lee C. Camp on the No Small Endeavor podcast, where they spoke on a variety of subjects. Including the time she was diagnosed with left breast cancer in 2006, and the vital life lesson she learned from it.
"I think having breast cancer saved my life," she said. "Because I think I had perfected being the ultimate caretaker, of all people, of everything. The people pleaser of the world, and I was at the bottom of the list of people to take care of."
Most people pleasers will get to a point where they find themselves with nothing left to give. Typically, they'll find this realization during a significant point in their lives, and will be confronted with the truth that it's okay to prioritize yourself every now and then.
She continued, "I was engaged in a relationship that was super challenging, and slightly toxic. I was just really not in a good place, and I got diagnosed with breast cancer. I [knew] I wasn't going to die, but it definitely got my attention."
Being confronted with such a hard trial made her reflect on herself, and highlighted that she doesn't give herself enough consideration.
When Sheryl Crow Received The "Tailor-Made Lesson" From Having Cancer
"I had a very stoic radiologist," she continued. She reminded Crow of her cigarette-smoking, beer-drinking grandmother. "She said 'I hope you get the tailor-made lesson that each cancer survivor gets'... and I did."
"I realized, laying on the radiation table, that my lesson was to start putting myself first. [To] learn to say no."
Experiencing this realization, that she needs to put herself first, is something that Sheryl Crow credits with saving her life. As absurd as it may sound, this dramatic shift in attitude can change people's lives for the better.
She then explains why she decided to move to Nashville during her cancer battle.
"There was a moment where while I was going through cancer treatment, there were paparazzi shooting into my house in L.A." She then thought of who she knows she could stay with, and thought, "You know what, I'm moving to Nashville."
