How one word has the power to change a person’s life.
Our words are rather peculiar things. Broken down, they really are just a set of sounds we string together to better communicate with those around us. The thing is, some words have an immense weight to them, and have the rather annoying ability of ruining a person’s frame of mind. Just hearing them sets off a chain of thoughts and questions that even the greatest of philosophers never would dare to dwell on. While there are many words that have this ability, there is one in specific that has the power to instill terror in its mere six letter: Cancer.
Just hearing the word envelops your mind with this dark miasma, influencing your very thoughts. The silent killer; the incurable malady. These are but some of the names attributed to Cancer, and each one is true in its own regard. It’s astonishing to see just how many families have had to deal with it; it is just so beyond far-reaching, and while many have been successful in vanquishing this foe, there are those who haven’t been, and to those people I extend my well wishes, for I now know what it means.
Growing up, you would hear the word, and never really understand what it means, why it’s so bad, what exactly is happening inside the body. Well, I now know, as my experience is now firsthand, and I understand it just that much more. Last Monday, April 7th, I was diagnosed with Cancer, and honestly, it was by far the scariest thing I have ever been told.
Aside from the few occasional binges on food and what not, I’m a healthy person. To hear a doctor tell you this breaks even the strongest of people. I sat there in my hospital bed, unaware of what would happen next. As the poison left his mouth it entered my mind, and with it so did the questions. I won’t lie, many were dark and morbid, but how could they not be? Here I am, 23 years old, finally happy enough to say my life is on track and where I wanted it, and out of nowhere, this appears. Suffice to say, that day a piece of me died.
But, where there is death, there is also life. Cancer, as dark and horrid a word as it is, whilst bringing with it instant thoughts of death and an unfit end, also brings with it something else: Inner Strength. Honestly, never before have I felt so strong, such a will to live. And every person who is diagnosed with this should do their best to feel the same. So what if you have cancer? So what if it has the potential to kill you? Fight that demon back, show it that you won’t let it take you without one hell of a fight!
I died the day they told me I have Cancer, but where the old me died, the new and stronger me was born. Every person who is diagnosed as such needs to see it this way. For even though it may seem dim and hopeless, I assure you hope is still there. Just look to your family and friends, the people who are there to help you fight this. And I can be honest and say, though this feels like a lone battle that no one can help me in, that is far from the truth. Everyone can help you, and all you have to do is keep strong, and as Simba would say, ’Laugh in the face of danger.’
Cancer might have the power to kill, but you have the power to fight back and not give up. The power to have the life you deserve. The power to be strong. Yes, the dark thoughts will always come back, but you push them away. For me, Cancer isn’t a death sentence, it’s my rebirth. Let it be yours also.