By India McCarty
DANCING WITH THE STARS pro Edyta Sliwinska is opening up about her cancer recovery one year after her diagnosis.
“Exactly a year ago, I woke up from a semi-conscious state, and a man in a blue coat looked at me and said something no one ever wants to hear: ‘It’s cancer,’” she wrote in an Instagram post.
Sliwinska continued, “I didn’t know if I would live to see today. I didn’t know how long I had left, how serious it was, or how my life would change. Today, I wear this scar under my belly as a reminder that life is incredibly fragile. It can crumble beneath you at any moment. Appreciate it, live it like there’s no tomorrow, enjoy it, and take care of your health.”
The DWTS pro called herself “the luckiest person on earth to be here today,” adding, “Every breath I take is filled with gratitude and love for what truly matters in life.”
“Today, I feel healthier than I have ever felt in my life,” she continued. “I made changes to my lifestyle, diet, environment, and exercise routine. I will share what I’ve learned in the hope that each and every one of you can achieve a healthier self, so no one ever delivers the news to you that I received on that hospital bed.”
Related: Dallas Cowboys Owner Reflects on Blessings After Beating Stage 4 Skin Cancer
In another recent post, Sliwinska called health “the most underappreciated luxury.”
“You can have hundreds of other problems, but when your body fails you, you have only one problem: health,” she wrote. “I used to stress about an upcoming avalanche of appointments and an overloaded schedule — about how my kids were doing in school, what someone said about me, and so many other things. I still feel anxious about many everyday matters, but I’ve gained a completely different perspective on life.”
Sliwinska added that “all these things matter, but the fact that my kids are healthy and go to school at all, is a blessing.”
“The fact that I have a busy schedule and so many things to do is a blessing, because there was a time when I was chained to my bed, surviving on painkillers,” she wrote. “A year later, I’m here, experiencing all these amazing moments with my family and my friends — moments I could not enjoy just a year ago at the same time because all that was on my mind was cancer.”
Sliwinska announced her diagnosis in 2024 in an Instagram post, writing, “The last three months have been the hardest and most stressful in my life. We hear people say, ‘Appreciate every moment,’ ‘Be grateful,’ and ‘Live your life as if there’s no tomorrow.’ We all know we should do these things, but somehow, we forget. We get caught up in everyday life, in our little problems and worries.”
“The truth is that, cancer or not, you don’t know how long you have left….I don’t think you can truly appreciate life unless you embrace and understand that any breath can be your last,” she wrote. “Life is beautiful. Don’t waste it worrying about things that are out of your control. And yes, be grateful. Be thankful. You have more than you think.”
Sliwinska’s openness about her cancer diagnosis and recovery is an inspiration to others who are going through the same thing — and a reminder of how precious life is.
Read Next: James Van Der Beek Updates Fans on His Cancer Battle: ‘It’s a Process’
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
– Content: +3Share:
– Content: +1