It's been said that a positive outlook on life in general when diagnosed with cancer makes the days pass by more easily. Some have even ascribed a daily positive outlook on helping them beat cancer into remission.Support groups and other ways to help cancer patients see the bright part of each day (regardless of how dark it is) may not end up having any effect on the cancer's progression or outcome, reveals a new in-depth study.
After reading the specifics of the study, I'm still of the mind that not mentally succumbing to the daily travails of cancer (and related treatments) is one of the best prescriptions known to the human race. All the medicine and technology in the world can't be beat by knowing that every day is a gift. And, when it's over, it's just that time. We'll all be there at some point.
Until then, take a page from my late grandmother's book - she never complained a single bit and was as happy as could be until her day of passing from ovarian cancer-related treatment. And that's how I'll always remember her.
1. There are things you can control, and there are things you cannot.
How you choose to deal, fight, live and die with a cancer diagnosis is a very personal thing. As a cancer survivor - I know that I certainly approach every day as a celebration.
And yet I am always saddened to hear of another death - particularly a young woman - dying of cervical cancer. It's totally prevenatable and doesn't have to happen. Heather Burcham was 31, and she died this week, after speaking out about the benefits of the HPV vaccine and doing what you can to prevent this from happening to anyone else.
Cuz that's the thing - there ARE things we can do. There are 3 tools women need to know about:
The HPV test - for women 30+
The liquid pap - for women by 21+
The HPV vaccine - for girls and women 9-26
No one test or vaccine is enough - this is a TOOL KIT for your cervix and women need to know the importance of using each and every tool - being proactive - going in to your annual gynecologic visist, and having a conversation with your doc.
Noone should ever die from this disease.
Let's work together to spread the word, so people like Heather know her voice was heard, and was not in vain.
rock on.
cb
www.theYELLOWUMBRELLA.org
Posted at 2:03PM on Jul 24th 2007 by christine baze