Many of us have been faced with a challenge of some sort of another. But how many of us have stood up to a life threatening challenge and said “you don’t scare me, I will beat you”. One man did. James Rhio O’Connor was diagnosed with Mesothelioma and given one year to live his life. Instead of accepting his death sentence he stood up the challenge and learned more about his cancer and fought it. He lived more than just one year that the doctors told him would be all the time that he had left and then some.
Almost every American can say that they have been affected by cancer either by being diagnosed themselves or knowing someone who has had to battle caner. There are more than 200 types of cancer that can affect over 60 different organs in the human body. I have caner that runs in both sides of my family. My grandma on both my mother’s and father’s side have died from cancer. I will with almost 95% certainty battle cancer at some time in my life. Will I question my life expectancy, or will I accept the grim reaper a do as many things as I can before I pass away? I hope that when faced with a challenge I will rise to the occasion and say, “you don’t scare me, I will beat you”. Just like James “Rhio” O’Connor did.
There are things that you can do and should do if you ever see yourself in the fight with cancer. The first step would be to find out as much information about the cancer that you are fighting. Doing research is the best thing that you can do. Expand your mind find out what exactly is going on in your own body. Don’t rely on just doctors, friends, and family to tell you what to do. Listen to your own judgment and make your own decision on what is best for you. Knowing more about your diagnosis, stages of your cancer and treatments are things that will aid you in making a decision. This should be extensive research in every possible place that would house such information.
Then you need to research and find out what treatments are available to you. There are always other options above Chemotherapy and radiation, etc. There are huge advances in medical science every day. Donating your time and using your unfortunate situation to the advances of science could not only possibly benefit yourself, but could also benefit future generations. This could include your children and grandchildren who could also land in your shoes and fight what you have to.
You will need to consider different things when deciding what treatment is best for you. Most treatments such as chemotherapy will help in destroying deadly cancer cells, but in the process will destroy good healthy cells. Participating in Chemotherapy will greatly impact your immune system. There are also harmful side effects when be treated such as nausea, vomiting, loss of hair, etc. I remember when my grandma was receiving Chemotherapy and had to wear a wig. She was also so sick and not feeling well, but she did it to elongate her life so that she could spend more time with her family.
Surgery could be a possible treatment but in some types of cancer isn’t possible, or if it is could possibly be of no use if the cancer is too far along or in an area that could not be reached. However, if you are able to receive surgery while you are suffering from cancer you will be 16.3% more likely to increase your life span by five years or more. Radiation Therapy is another option. This is where they use radiation to decrease the size of tumors. When this procedure is successful in most cases patients can increase their life span by at least five years.
Immunotherapy is another option that boosts the immune system and injects it with healthy cells that help to fight the cancer. Twenty percent of patients experience a tumor that was decreased in size by at least fifty percent.
There is tons of information available to millions of people out there in the world who are suffering from cancer related illnesses. Not to research and find out more information about what is going on inside of your own body that is causing you harm is not the best decision to make. Not educating yourself will rob you of what precise time that you have left to spend with your loved ones. Follow James “Rhio” O’Connor’s example and fight that battle the best way that you can.
By: Mart, Tera
