Three weeks before my sixth birthday, my mother died from breast cancer. My mother’s battle with breast cancer was a very short one; I believe that this was because she accepted her prognosis and gave up on herself. Similar to my mother, Mr. Rio O’Connor also had cancer, only his cancer was metropolises. At the time of his diagnosis there was no cure and not a significant amount of information available on the way to treat metropolises. Metropolises is a very rare type of cancer that attacks the body’s man organs and covers them with a protective sac. For more information on metropolises please feel free to visit www.survivingmesothelioma.com. Unlike my mother, Mr. O’Connor did not give-up. If my mother possessed Mr. O’Connor’s self determination and optimism, I believe that she could have lived longer and maybe she would still be here today. Even though Mr. O’Connor was given deadly prognosis for cancer, he did not wallow in grief and give up on life; instead he took on the responsibility of finding his own cure. Refusing to just accept his prognosis, he conducted qualitive research; spoke to numerous doctors, patients, and researchers; which assisted him in developing his own therapeutic procedure. Because of his dedication and commitment to helping himself, Mr. O’Connor out lived his prognosis by six years and provided other metropolises patients with hope. Mr. O’Connor serves as an inspiration and role model for all people whether they have been affected by cancer or not. He provides encouragement to never give up even when others have lost all hope. I believe that if there were more people in the world today like Mr. O’Connor then maybe a cure for all cancers would be discovered.
If I was diagnosed with a dire cancer, I would not use it as an excuse to give up on life. First, I would seek a second opinion from another oncologist. After a second opinion confirmed the same diagnosis, I would stop working and dedicate myself to finding a cure for my disease. This includes adapting to a new healthier lifestyle, conducting my own research and visiting and seeking suggestions from doctors all over the world. I would conduct my research by first becoming educated on the cancer. I would accomplish this by using computer research databases such as Cancer Monthly and other well know cancer databases, health libraries, and information from my oncologist and other specialist. I would not limit my research to the United Sates because there are other places where technology is advanced. Resources that I would use to make informed decisions would be advice from medical specialist who had studied the cancer and were very knowledgeable on the disease and treatments. I would keep all research organized in binders and seek permission to record all information given by the oncologists and specialists. I would make my decisions on treatment based upon my research findings. Before deciding upon any treatment, I would first research treatments. I would carefully evaluate each treatment by researching the chemicals, medications involved, the side effects of taking the treatment, the amount of stress and tension it would put on my already sickening body. After researching the structure of each of the treatments, I would meet with specialist and oncologist to inquire about the survival rate of the treatments. I would also ask for a list of patients who were currently receiving the treatment or had tried the procedure.
After obtaining the list of patients, I’d conduct detailed research on why the treatment worked for some people. Also I’d interview others for whom the treatment did not work for. I think that a big problem in today’s world is that when something does not work for people, they tend to give up instead of discovering why. If one part of a treatment didn’t work for some, while other parts did, then different positive aspects from multiple treatments could lead to one that works effectively. I would inquire about the life styles of the patients who had previously received the treatment. For treatments that worked positively for some patients I would ask questions like, how long did you take the treatment? How was your diet? What were the worse side effects? Did you become healthier or sicker? Basically when deciding upon treatments research from all aspects of the treatment would be conducted first.
I would also meet with other patients who aspired to look for treatments to discuss their findings. I would work with other patients to create a website in order to create a feeling of unity. Although this would be of major support for me, this would also help other metropolises patients. I think that this is a really important part of curing any disease and it would also serve as a means of support for other patients. I believe that this was one of my mother’s major downfalls. When she discovered that she had breast cancer, she became very depressed and withdrawn from the rest of our family. I feel that this was because she felt like she was fighting the cancer on her own and that no one else could understand the pain and fear that she was going through. Maybe if she had shared her story with other young women who were also battling breast cancer then she wouldn’t have been so depressed and given up on herself. I believe that if cancer patients worked together to find treatments and used each other as support systems then a cure for cancer would be found, and more lives would be saved.
If chemo, radiation, other surgery, and treatments did not work for me, I would not give up. I would not let the fear of death engulf my soul. Even if a treatment did not work for me or maybe if a treatment that I helped discover proved to work after my death; other lives would be saved. I would still be dedicated to helping to save the lives of other people. Some people may say that if I would think differently if I was dying and knew that there was no cure. However; I know how it feels to lose someone that you love and I realize the true meaning of life. Life is not always about you and what you have accomplished for yourself; it is about other people and how you can help them. Losing my life and saving thousands of others would not be a bad sacrifice. I would continue to live life. I would spend more time with my family members and close friends; and continue to fight my disease.
Although discovering that he had a life threatening disease, Mr. O’Connor never gave up. I am sure that Mr. O Connar was also terrified when discovering that he had cancer and that he didn’t have long to live; but he didn’t give up, he refused to allow his prognosis to serve as his death sentence. He gave others hope and he serves as an inspiration.
By: Sudberry, Tynisha
