After reading the background of this brave and courageous man, I can honestly say I would not have done what he did. He defeated the odds and for that I admire him. He refused to accept that he had an incurable disease and had less than a year to live. James O’Connor is an example of a fighter and someone that did not take no for an answer. He set out to defeat his cancer, and did very thorough research as well as talked to many different doctors. This man was on a mission.
If I was told that I had an incurable disease and only had a little time left to live, I would not waste any time. I would create a bucket list for myself, and I would set out to do all of the things that I always dreamed of. I would obviously be scared, but I would also feel protected because I have the grace of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I would feel loved as well because I would have my family, future wife, and all my friends by my side praying for me and holding my hand.
I do not want this to sound as if I would just accept that I have cancer. That is far from my thought process. I would have a hard time trying to come to grips with the fact that I was dying, let alone in very little time. I would want the best care I could possibly get, and my family would ask for second and maybe third opinions from other doctors. I would think about all of those I wronged during my lifetime, and all the things I needed to make right so that I could die in peace.
O’Connor did not do any of those things though. He took it upon himself to talk to the doctors, and he ended up creating his own way of therapy with the help of the clinicians he chose. He defeated all the odds and silenced all of the doubters in his own way. Nobody was going to tell him what he could and could not do. He was not ready to die, so he took it upon himself to beat death in a matter of speaking. Not many people can say they did what James “Rhio” O’Connor did. The world needs to have more people like him, and I think it would be better place if there were.
By: Poplin, Ben
