A Fight For Life Driven By Faith

A Fight for Life Driven By Faith

As a nine-year-old child, I can recall my last memories spent with Bianca, a friend I met through a mutual cousin. Bianca was diagnosed with Leukemia and the doctor informed her family that she would not live much longer. Unlike most children, living for her was a daily chore. Her symptoms, such as weakness and shortness of breath, prevented her from enjoying many childhood games. Little did I know about the day-to-day battles that she faced since we lived in different countries. After receiving the dire cancer prognosis, somehow she lived more years than was expected. In addition to the support and encouragement Bianca received from family, I know that there was also something in her that kept her fighting for her life- the substance that I would refer to as faith.

A similar story was told about man, Mr. Rhio O'Connor, who was also given a dire cancer prognosis, Mesothelioma. After receiving the news, he admitted to the seriousness of the illness and made a decision to fight despite the odds. Mr. O'Connor's story truly inspires me, as it shows the impact that perspectives, hope, and action can have on a situation's outcome. As he focused on his confident hope, rather than soley the illness itself, he grew in perseverance. I have learned throughout my life that thoughts (both positive and negative) have the power to affect outcome. If Mr. O'Connor had been like most people who are given news about a deadly illness, the existence of such disease would have discouraged him and most likely, his lifespan would not have been prolongeed due to a lack of motivation to make additional efforts. I strongly admire Mr. O'Connor's hunger for knowledge, which led to numerous discoveries through research. This is truly an example of a person who acknowledged the power within him and persevered with a passion for survival.

If I was given a dire cancer prognosis, I would first admit to the existence of the disease, then pray with faith for divine healing and the strength to overcome the disease. A lady at my church recently received a report from the doctor about a dangerous tumor that she had in her breast. After accepting that news, she took the issue to the altar at church and had the Pastor's wife lay hands on her as they prayed in faith for her manifested healing. When she went back to get the tumor evaluated, the size of it decreased so much that they were able to remove it without doing a higly invasive surgery as they had originally planned. Her story and her strong faith truly inspired me. In addition to praying, I would also conduct research to find treatments and lifestyle changes that I could make to improve my quality of life and help with my healing. I would review numerous cancer clinical trials that test treatments on various populations. I would also evaluate the research design for each clinical trials: sample size, population, number of trials, and control group. In my research, I would evaluate both the positive outcomes, side effects and adverse effects of each treatment. By comparing research, this would help me to formulate a good hypothesis on the effectiveness of a treatment. I would also find a support group, such as a local American Cancer Society, and a set of clinicians who will be able to provide support and guidance medically, emotionally, and physically.

If chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery were not effective, I would go beyond those treatments, by trying other products such as natural herbs that have been shown to help with cancer symptoms. Some examples include: Aloe vera and chlorophyllin. A research study that was published in the journal, International Immunopharmacology (1995), found that aloe vera exhibits properties that boosts immune system functions and destroy cancerous tumors (by increasing volumes of nictric oxide). A recent study published in the International Journal of Cancer found that Chlorophyllin kills cancer cells via similar mechanism to the cancer drug, hydroxyurea; however, Chlorophyllin was found to be ten times more stronger and effective at killing those malignant cells. Many of these natural treatments may be effective, even though they are not patent or FDA approved. As a result, doctors would not expose patients to these treatments. However, information on these treatments need to be made more widely availabe. If my current treatments were not effective, I would also be willing to try various unconvetional treatments both locally and internationally if the treatments are found help alieviate symptoms or cure the cancer. I would evaluate the potential benefits versus the risks to determine the treatments that I would agree to undergo.

In order to improve progress in curing cancer, patients have to be kept encouraged, educated, and motivated. In addition, researchers have to continue to conduct research, and cancer foundations have to continue to receive sponsoring. Educating the patient on resources is also essential. My aunt, who was diagnosed with cancer told me that many of the symptoms of cancer frightened her and significantly impacted her both physically and emotionally. After treatment, she later started doing research and found that there was counseling available to help her better deal with the symptoms. She believes that she would have recovered quicker and had an easier journey if she was exposed to these resources earlier. These resources would have helped her to handle the emotional toll that the disease had on her as the disease yielded numerous unexpected symptoms, such as memory loss and osteoporosis. Education is also the key to preventing cancer. People as a whole are not aware of lifestyle habits that can contribute to the development of this disease. Some actions that can be taken to prevent cancer development are to cut out smoking and alcohol, to eat a healthy low fat diet, to wear sunscreen, to exercise regularly, to routinely schedule cancer screenings, and to and to have a thorough understanding of family history.

Mr. O'Connor's story truly inspired me to continue to do reasearch to find treatments that can help to ameliorate symptoms or heal diseases, such as the Leukemia that my friend Bianca suffered from. Mr. O'Connor showed me the importance of not just accepting unwanted situations, but to decide to seek guidance, research, and to advocate for positive change. This is the type of hunger for knowledge that I am also working toward developing in order to obtain success in my endeavors. Having a positive mindset bolstered by faith has great potential to allow us to break free of accepted limits, and achieve our desires.