Saturday, June 8, 2013

Get in the Game

I just discovered and started reading about another cancer fighter's journey, an esophageal cancer patient named Doug.  His situation is close to my heart because my cousin was a victim of that type of cancer.  I'm not saying that everything this man does is the right treatment for me or anyone else (because really, medicine should never be that generic, it should be uniquely tailored to each person).  Although if you're interested, you could certainly seek out a customized course from the experts Doug visited.  But in any case what he's doing is working for him, which is great.   

Looking beyond the supplements and the routines, he says a lot about attitude that I do totally agree with and have felt from the very beginning of my cancer diagnosis:  that we, as cancer patients, have to "get in the game" and be participants in our own treatment.  We can't be passive about this.  He writes, "Your body produces 500,000 [this figure is reportedly supposed to read 500 million] new cells per day. Supporting this production will allow you to have billions more good ones in a matter of days to fight the millions of bad ones. Unless the bad cells are led by Gerard Butler, this small of an army doesn’t stand a chance. You will feel empowered and purposeful, I promise you."  And it's absolutely true:  when you take an active role in your treatment, do the research, ask the questions, discuss your plan and then work on it every day, you stop feeling helpless and your hope gives you power.

1 comment:

  1. In our humble opinion, you HAVE been in the game from the beginning of your journey. You set the bar high for yourself, and you continue to reach it and go beyond. It is good that you have contact with other cancer patients that share experiences with you, and you with them. No one understands as well as someone sharing the journey first-hand. May each of you be blessed mightily. JKFN

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