Post by oldman on Apr 18, 2015 8:25:59 GMT 7
43% of all males and 38% of all females will have cancer in their lifetime ( www.cancer.org/cancer/cancerbasics/lifetime-probability-of-developing-or-dying-from-cancer ). In other words, for many of us, it is not if we will have cancer, it is when.
When I was diagnosed to have cancer, I thought that I was simply unlucky. But now, looking at the statistics, for those of us who are married, the likelihood that one of us will have cancer is almost a given. There really is nothing to be ashamed of. Cancer is common. Just that not many want to talk about it and this is why it has become a taboo subject for most of us. When our friends have cancer, most of us will keep quiet as we really do not know how to respond.
Now that I have cancer and have gone through the stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally, acceptance, I can understand what every cancer patient will go through. It is certainly not an easy journey to undertake but one which most of us, will eventually have to travel.
Out of this period of uncertainty and despair, you can either come out stronger or weaker. Some will just take weeks to overcome this episode while others may take years but for those of us affected, our lives will forever be changed as a result of this diagnosis. One can keep the diagnosis under wraps but this means that one has to mentally know who knows about your condition and who does not. As people do talk among themselves, it is more likely that many more of your friends know than you think. These friends may also find it awkward to talk to you. Hence, to me the best way is to openly let everyone know so that I can be myself and assume that everyone knows of my diagnosis. Life then can carry on as normal as the less secrets you have, the easier it is to be yourself.
For me, I have retired for over 6 years and have often spent time thinking about life. Hence, it was easier for me to come to terms that eventually, all of us have to die one day. Cancer is just one of the ways in which we may leave this world. I have had a good life and I am very thankful for it. If it is my turn to be called, I am already at peace with myself as I am comfortable with all the things that I have done in this life. Once you overcome this issue of death as part of life, you don't worry about death anymore. If it comes, it comes. Once you overcome this, you can begin to live life even more fully than before.
When you have this diagnosis, you can worry about your condition every time you go for a check up. If you do so, then, your life is controlled by your disease. For me, I rather have control over my life and this is why I don't bother about the disease but instead focus on the things that matter most to me. If I get a recurrence of the condition, I will just accept it and move on with the treatment.
In the meantime, I rather ignore the disease and simply do the things that I really want to do in life. Interestingly, the diagnosis of cancer has given me more determination to enjoy my life.
The diagnosis
Chemotherapy
The dollars and cents of cancer
When I was diagnosed to have cancer, I thought that I was simply unlucky. But now, looking at the statistics, for those of us who are married, the likelihood that one of us will have cancer is almost a given. There really is nothing to be ashamed of. Cancer is common. Just that not many want to talk about it and this is why it has become a taboo subject for most of us. When our friends have cancer, most of us will keep quiet as we really do not know how to respond.
Now that I have cancer and have gone through the stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally, acceptance, I can understand what every cancer patient will go through. It is certainly not an easy journey to undertake but one which most of us, will eventually have to travel.
Out of this period of uncertainty and despair, you can either come out stronger or weaker. Some will just take weeks to overcome this episode while others may take years but for those of us affected, our lives will forever be changed as a result of this diagnosis. One can keep the diagnosis under wraps but this means that one has to mentally know who knows about your condition and who does not. As people do talk among themselves, it is more likely that many more of your friends know than you think. These friends may also find it awkward to talk to you. Hence, to me the best way is to openly let everyone know so that I can be myself and assume that everyone knows of my diagnosis. Life then can carry on as normal as the less secrets you have, the easier it is to be yourself.
For me, I have retired for over 6 years and have often spent time thinking about life. Hence, it was easier for me to come to terms that eventually, all of us have to die one day. Cancer is just one of the ways in which we may leave this world. I have had a good life and I am very thankful for it. If it is my turn to be called, I am already at peace with myself as I am comfortable with all the things that I have done in this life. Once you overcome this issue of death as part of life, you don't worry about death anymore. If it comes, it comes. Once you overcome this, you can begin to live life even more fully than before.
When you have this diagnosis, you can worry about your condition every time you go for a check up. If you do so, then, your life is controlled by your disease. For me, I rather have control over my life and this is why I don't bother about the disease but instead focus on the things that matter most to me. If I get a recurrence of the condition, I will just accept it and move on with the treatment.
In the meantime, I rather ignore the disease and simply do the things that I really want to do in life. Interestingly, the diagnosis of cancer has given me more determination to enjoy my life.
The diagnosis
Chemotherapy
The dollars and cents of cancer
