Rhio O’Connor’s story inspires me to never give up and push past every limitation that is set before me. Mr. O’Connor as described in the story was a very brave, courageous, and intelligent man. Not many people can overcome the fear of cancer much less tackling the disease to find a cure. Mesothelioma as any cancer is a tough and difficult obstacle to face much less overcome. Mesothelioma is a rare form of malignant cancer. The cancer forms in the protective lining that surrounds the body’s major organs. The lungs, heart, and many other organs are often affected. It attacks the lining of the organ, and then the organ itself until it slowly kills off each vital organ.
If I was affected by Mesothelioma or any type of cancer I do not know how I would react. I have never been in that position so I cannot truthfully answer that question. However, if I was in any cancer patient’s position there is a reaction I would like to have. The main thing would be to remain true to myself and fight harder than ever before. I would explore and accept all treatments that were available and unavailable to prolong my life no matter how many days, months, or years and remain true to myself and God. I believe we all have the ability to reach someone. Within my reaction I would depend and rely on three major things: faith in God, hope, and determination.
My faith in God would benefit me in many ways. For starters it could carry me to places that I would otherwise never reach. Places of strength, integrity, and so much more that I may never attain as a regular individual. In the Bible it says, that God is our comforter and peacemaker. So if I can believe and trust him he would give me the peace to deal with all the circumstances I faced. Also if all my family, friends, and the doctors walked away I would never be alone for God is my comforter who sticks closer than a brother. He will never leave nor forsake me. Another dimension of faith is the evidence of things hoped for but not seen. I have the ability to believe and trust in a God that I have never seen. Therefore, I can have faith/hope that God would help me to find the unknown/unseen cure for the cancer I was dealing with.
As I mentioned before my faith in God allows me to have hope. With the ability to hope I have the ability to obtain determination. Hope gives an individual the unction to fight beyond their capability. If I ever gave up the hope of finding a cure for cancer I never would have the privilege of being healed through medicine. My grandmother is a prime example of what I just described. She battled cancer many days of her life. My grandmother fought and overcame many of her battles until she took radiation treatments which had gruesome effects on her body. She finished the treatments but agreed to never take them again. She spent a few years in remission only for the deadly disease to take her life forever. The day she agreed that she would never again take radiation or any other treatment was the day she lost her determination. My grandmother lost her determination the day radiation took her hope to find a cure for her cancer and remain free of the disease forever. Without her hope and determination she lost the ability to fight.
I hope I never have the challenge of fighting cancer, but if I do I will use everything in my power to keep my faith in God, hope, and determination alive within me. Because, if I can always keep all those things alive within me; I will have the ability to fight and prosper. Although, if I did lose something along the journey and never found my cure if I still had my faith in God I would benefit from my time on earth. I will even go to the extreme to say that if I never took another breath in my lungs I would hope to inspire another individual to never give up, keep their faith in God, have enough determination to fight against all odds, and never give up hope!
By: Pennycuff, Natasha
