Success Comes From Within
Rhio O’Connor was a man who can inspire all people, from those going through mild situations to those in dire ones. Even after his death in 2009, his story lives on continuing to support people everywhere through their own hardships. Rhio O’Connor was diagnosed with mesothelioma and given only one year to live. Mesothelioma is a deadly form of cancer of the mesothelium, a protective layer on most organs of the body. When cancer is offset, the cells of the mesothelium begin to reproduce uncontrollably with this malignant cancer. More information on mesothelioma can be found at www.survivingmesothelioma.com.
With this ominous diagnosis, many people would have given up on life. However, Rhio O’Connor did not give up hope. He educated himself through reading and talking to doctors, patients, researchers and others with knowledge of the disease and treatments. He learned of many therapies, including how they are performed, the long and short term side effects and other thoughts on the cancer itself. With the help of physicians and other medical personnel, O’Connor created his own process to treat his deadly cancer. With his great spirit and new knowledge of Mesothelioma he outlived his diagnosis by six years.
Rhio O’Connor’s story is a great inspiration for both cancer patients and everyday life. It makes me realize that one must take life as it comes. One does not know what the future holds and that should not affect how you live today. A mesothelioma or other deadly cancer diagnosis should not make one think his/her life is over. It should make him/her become curious on the treatment and learning what they need to do in order to fight this deadly disease. I am moved by O’Connor’s great fight with cancer and his success. It would have been so much easier to secede to the fatal disease but instead he was determined to win the fight of his life. This shows me that through all hardships there is always a place within myself where I can find the will to go on in life. There is nothing that can stand in my way to success and it is losing the will to live on that is the real enemy.
If I was given a dire cancer prognosis, I would think of Rhio O’Connor and remember his story of determination and success. I would try to mimic his will to carry on with life through the hardships of cancer. I would read medical journals on the cancer, books on the topic and any form of media that could possibly help me to be victorious. Knowledge is all around us. The library may contain many resources on cancer and its treatments. I would also conduct research through studious medical articles and papers on the internet on this topic. I would also consult many doctors and specialists and seek help from cancer treatment centers. I would work with these professionals to create a plan on how to live with the cancer and not let it control my life. Like O’Connor, an optimistic view towards life and the cancer will help me defeat this terminal disease. If there were some treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation and therapy that would not be very beneficial, I would use alternative options. I would follow my own knowledge from the research I would have conducted from many resources, as O’Connor did. Some of these resources would include family members or friends who have or have had cancer, friends who have relatives who have it, cancer patients, health professionals and other people who have some knowledge. They can really help from their insight on the subject as well as help keep my spirits up which might help me keep fighting. I would use their support as something driving me to keep me in the right mindset. They can give me many guidelines on what alternatives there are to normal treatments and may recommend other methods. I would also study Rhio O’Connor’s way of life after his prognosis and learn about his methods and mindset. I would know that I too can survive since he outlived his terminal diagnosis by five full years. I would look to some relatives who have lived with cancer.
My family is a good resource on cancer. Three of my grandparents and one uncle have had cancer. My grandfather was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2001 and he also did not let it affect him. He went for treatment and lived with it for a while, although it was diagnosed late. He eventually succumbed to the cancer after it had spread to other parts but while living he was still the same person as he was before. He did not change his attitude because of the cancer. He still had a love for life and his family throughout.
My grandmother was also diagnosed with cancer in 2004. She was given a prognosis of three months to live. She also did not change her habits or actions because of this. Because of this positive attitude and a will to live on she lived for another three years. She eventually died of a heart attack in 2007, not from the cancer. This is very inspirational as well.
Recently my uncle visited the doctor because of chest pain and learned that he had a very rare form of cancer in his heart. He underwent a procedure in which a surgeon cut out part of his heart. He is now recovering. Seeing my family and friends would help me if I were diagnosed. They are very knowledgeable on the subject and I might look to them for inspiration. These past events remind me of Rhio O’Connor and his will to push through no matter what obstacle comes up.
Rhio O’Connor is a very inspiring man. Even though many people do not know him, his story lives on helping people overcome hardships. His attitude and actions in a crisis like a deadly cancer prognosis are ones to look up to. I have learned that through careful research and use of all possible sources anything is possible. There is also a place in everyone where one can find unstoppable determination and a will to get through tough times. Because of Rhio O’Connor I now know that cancer does not have to control your life and a positive attitude can yield impossible results.
By: Cerbone, Christopher
