What would you tell your 15-year-old self?
What to tell an anxious, self-conscious, riddled with doubt and expected to “know better” teenager?
I’d say, “Go with your gut.” If your belly is giving you grief, then something in the choices you need to make is not right. Trust your first impressions when meeting new people. That push, that snarky remark may be causing the nausea. When your stomach rolls, you probably need to say “no.” When you feel hungry after a meal, you need to get up and do what needs to be done. Do not wait or compromise your ambitions.
And one last thing–don’t cut the hair short. Growing it back will never happen.
Antoinette Truglio Martin is the author of Hug Everyone You Know: A Year of Community, Courage, and Cancer. The memoir is a wimpy patient’s journey through her first year of breast cancer treatment.
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