Week 3: The Power of Community – Building Your Warrior Tribe

⚔ Warrior’s Law: Strength is Not Found Alone

You do not have to carry this alone. Find your people. Let them love you. Let them remind you who you are.

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The Truth About Cancer and Relationships

Cancer changes everything—including the people around you.

Some will step forward, showing up in ways you never expected.

Some will step back, disappearing without explanation.

And some—well, some will stay in your life but drain you more than they help.

One of the hardest lessons cancer teaches is who truly stands beside you when life gets real.

Warrior’s Code #3: Let Go of the Old You – Honor who you were, but embrace who you are becoming.

At the core of your support system, there are two essential roles:

• Guardians – The ones who provide stability, staying beside you no matter what.

• Protectors – The ones who take action, shielding you from unnecessary harm.

Understanding who belongs in each role—and who doesn’t belong in your inner circle—is part of reclaiming your power.

The Guardians, the Protectors, the Ghosts, and the Vampires

When faced with a life-altering diagnosis, you quickly realize that people react in different ways.

The Guardians: The Steady Presence

Your Guardians are the ones who stay—through every phase of your journey.

They are the quiet strength when everything else feels loud and unstable.

They don’t need to be asked to show up—they just do.

They…

✔ Check in regularly

✔ Sit with you in the silence

✔ Protect your energy

✔ Remind you of who you are when you forget

Warrior’s Code #11: Build a Tribe, Not a Crowd – Not everyone will understand your battle—keep those who do close.

The Protectors: The Shields in Battle

While Guardians offer calm and consistency, Protectors bring boldness and bravery.

They take action when it’s needed.

They…

✔ Advocate for your care

✔ Speak up when boundaries are crossed

✔ Step in when you don’t have the energy to fight

Some Guardians are also Protectors, but not always. Protectors might not be present every day, but when it matters, they show up strong.

Warrior’s Code #6: You Are a Warrior, Not a Victim – The mindset you adopt determines how you conquer.

The Ghosts: When People Fade Away

Not everyone can handle the weight of your reality.

Some friends and family will disappear.

Some will offer kind words but vanish when things get hard.

They might say, “I didn’t know what to say,” or “I just couldn’t handle it.”

It hurts, but their absence reveals their place in your story.

Warrior’s Code #4: Own Your Story – Speak your truth and control your narrative; don’t let cancer write your script.

The Vampires: Those Who Drain More Than They Give

Then there are the people who stay—but at a cost.

They…

✔ Center themselves in your story

✔ Offer advice instead of empathy

✔ Flood you with toxic positivity

✔ Make you feel guilty for your own pain

You are already carrying enough.

Warrior’s Code #7: Energy is Currency – Spend it wisely.

Let go of what—and who—does not serve your healing.

When Support Comes from Unexpected Places

Some Guardians will enter your life out of nowhere.

When I was at my weakest, I almost died.

For two years before my diagnosis, my children’s father and I hated each other. We barely spoke. And yet, when cancer entered my life, he checked on me.

And one day… he saved my life.

I was so sick, I felt my essence leaving my body. When I sat up, I felt myself return—as if I had nearly slipped away. But I thought that kind of weakness was normal.

He saw what I couldn’t.

He took me to the ER, where I was admitted immediately.GI infection. Low blood cells. Dehydration.

Warrior’s Code #9: Know When to Surrender, Know When to Fight – Strength is in knowing the difference.

That was a turning point for me.

This is why your tribe matters.

Sometimes, the people you least expect are the ones who come through when it matters most.

Building Your Warrior Tribe: My Sister’s Keeper and the Power of Shared Wisdom

While some people fade away, others step in and change your life.

When I created My Sister’s Keeper-Cleveland, I knew that women sharing wisdom had to be the foundation.

Because feeling alone during cancer isn’t just painful—it’s debilitating.

But when women come together, when we speak freely, cry openly, and uplift one another, the weight becomes lighter.

Warrior’s Code #13: Surround Yourself with Strength – The right people uplift, the wrong ones drain—choose wisely.

My Sister’s Keeper isn’t just a support group. It’s a place where:

✔ Warriors become Guardians and Protectors for one another

✔ Stories are honored, not silenced

✔ No woman walks this journey alone

And your tribe doesn’t have to be limited to one space.

You can find strength in many places. What matters is that you find it.

You Are Not Alone

Strength is not about isolation.

It’s about connection.

It’s about letting the right people in.

Warrior’s Code #12: Find Purpose in Pain – Use your journey to inspire and help others.

Let your Guardians anchor you.

Let your Protectors shield you.

Let your tribe walk beside you as you continue to rise.

You do not have to carry this alone.

⚔ You are a warrior. And every warrior needs a tribe.

🛡 Exercise: Mapping Your Warrior Tribe

Purpose:

To help you identify the people in your life who support, protect, or drain you—and to clarify who belongs in your inner circle moving forward.

Instructions:

Take a moment to sit with your thoughts. Then, draw four circles on a piece of paper, forming a target or layered ripple (like a bullseye).

Label each ring as follows:

1. Inner Circle: Guardians & Protectors

2. Supportive Allies

3. Neutral or Distant

4. Draining or Absent (Vampires & Ghosts)

   
   

Now, fill in the names of people in your life based on how they show up for you:

🔸 Inner Circle – Guardians & Protectors

These are the people who:

• Check in on you regularly without being asked

• Respect your boundaries

• Offer calm, strength, or take action when needed

• Advocate for you and honor your healing

💭 Who has made you feel seen, safe, and supported during your journey?

🔸 Supportive Allies

These people may not be in your daily life, but:

• They offer emotional support when they can

• They respect your space and energy

• You feel better after talking with them

💭 Who encourages you, even if it’s from a distance?

🔸 Neutral or Distant

These people:

• Haven’t hurt you, but haven’t shown up either

• May not understand your journey

• Are inconsistent or unsure how to support you

💭 Are they worth investing more in—or keeping at a distance for now?

🔸 Draining or Absent (Vampires & Ghosts)

These people:

• Center themselves in your journey

• Offer unsolicited advice or push toxic positivity

• Disappear when you need them most

• Make you feel guilty for your emotions or needs

💭 What boundaries need to be set—or strengthened—with these people?

🗝 Reflection Questions:

• Who truly sees the warrior in me?

• Who do I trust to protect my peace and energy?

• Are there relationships I need to release to heal?

• Who surprised me with their support?

• Who do I want to grow closer to from here?