Sometimes it can feel like you’ve pulled off life’s highway after breast cancer. The diagnosis can turn your world upside down, upset your plans, and alter relationships. Despite the very real lows, good things can come out of the experience, too, from gaining insight about your deepest personal values to discovering who has your back when the chips are down. Here are some of the positive things those battling breast cancer can take away.

8: Finding Beauty in the Small Stuff

Call it perspective or gratitude, but it’s hard to take the beauty of the world for granted when you are fighting for your place in it. You may find yourself stopping in your tracks to soak up a picturesque garden, sunlight filtering through the trees, or the crisp night air.

Photo: Flickr/LiveOnceWild

7: Making New Friends

Between hospital visits and support groups, fellow breast cancer patients have a way of coming into your life just when you need their camaraderie and insights the most. Don’t be surprised to learn that many old friends and acquaintances have experience with breast cancer, too, from a close friend whose mom battled the disease to a colleague who beat it years ago. Social media and charity events offer a surefire way to meet new faces if you haven’t already.

Photo: Flickr/Aberdeen Proving Ground

6: Telling Inside Hospital Jokes

Laughter isn’t exactly FDA-approved, but many breast cancer patients know that a dose of black humor can help keep the clouds away. Your doctor may not be amused when you ask him how many MDs it takes to find your test results, but your fellow patients are likely to get a laugh.

Photo: Flickr/Sookie

5: Experiencing the Deepest Love

The people who love you most have a way of stepping forward after you’re diagnosed. Friends make sacrifices you never could have anticipated, and certain neighbors reveal themselves to be super heroes. Your closest relationships become that much more essential as you see how fundamental your love is to their life, and their love to yours.

Photo: Flickr/Rick Harris

Read on for more personal insights, and remember that you’re amazing in every way.