A survivor’s view.
As I went to the hospital for my therapies, week after week I wondered what exactly the answer to defeating cancer was.
We have all heard of people who lost their battle with cancer or survived it. Asides the symptoms that come with the type of cancer one might have, the patient has to deal with the side effects of the type of chemotherapy received. The oncologists always said that every individual dealt with various side effects.
I was frightened by the possible side effects that had been engraved in my brain from images seen in movies I had watched over the years that had characters who suffered from cancer. I expected extreme weight loss, fatigue, hair and nail loss. Although, I did look a bit forward to the weight loss part as I had struggled with being overweight since 2014. Well, I sure didn’t get those side effects, I got worse. Dang!
First came the hair loss. I watched as my hair remained on my pillow every morning when I got up from bed. So at a point I decided to cut off what was left of my hair. I thought my nails would fall off but I was lucky enough to have them intact however my skin gradually became dry and filled with rashes.
Gradually, more side effects crept in with low blood pressure, fatigue, depression and weight gain. Just so you know, you can tell you have low blood pressure when you regularly feel dizzy after standing up.
The fatigue was expected and I noticed I slept a lot more than usual. However, the weight gain was a shock especially as I was nauseous every time I ate. It was worse when I ate meals with protein. They just refused to go down my system.
The depression was a constant state of mind that felt like I had a dark cloud over my head. Stayed in my room 80 per cent of the time but in order to prevent my parents and friends from worrying about me, I found myself forcing a fake smile and pretending to be happy when around them when deep down I was actually drowning but there were a couple of times that I had friends come around and help me mentally escape into a state of immense happiness.
Back to the question. What exactly makes one survive cancer? Is it your faith, diet, mental state or just sheer luck? I had two men in my chemotherapy sessions pass away after receiving extensive treatments.
Like many, such situations draw us closer to God but not everyone changes their lifestyle. I for sure know that changing my lifestyle to a healthier one was quite difficult. One of the men who unfortunately passed away was one of those who decided to join the vegetarian movement. There was this flow of people who would come in for sessions and talk about all the healthy smoothies they suddenly loved and the carbs they had cut out. To be honest, I almost felt bad that I was one of the few who didn’t go all out with the vegetable consumption and only ate a bit more greens.
These two men in particular seemed like they were ready to be advocates for the vegetarian lifestyle. They said daily “Fruits and vegetables are all you need. They will help fight cancer.”
No offence, but I found it weird that a group of people fighting cancer were giving advice on what to eat and do to defeat it. Isn’t that like the blind leading the blind?
I remember having a discussion with one of the men once when he shamed me for eating Pringles instead of fruits. I explained to him how I constantly vomited anything I ate and chips seemed to be the only thing that stayed down.
I also introduced him to the guy sitting beside me, John Adewale, a fitness trainer who was battling lung cancer. John is a good looking young man who clearly dedicates his energy to staying in shape. He still prides himself of maintaining a healthy lifestyle comprising of a strict diet and scheduled exercise regimen. He also doesn’t smoke or drink and has no family history of cancer, yet, he had lung cancer.
John talked about how he had always advised his friends to eat right and exercise more. He said he always sent scary medical pictures to his friends hoping that they would cause his friends to stop smoking or drinking and ensure they do regular medical checks, however, he ended up being the one battling cancer while the friends lived healthy lives.
After we were informed of their deaths, I realised that there was no right way to tackle cancer and that there was no actual way to prevent it. As far as I am concerned, beating cancer is more of a mental battle than a physical one.
The combination of God’s grace which some people might call sheer luck, faith and mental positivity. I think every cancer patient or victim of any circumstance needs positive energy around them and the right support to keep their spirits lifted and hopeful.
I also think that it is important to keep the mind busy so that the mind doesn’t dwell on the pain that the body is enduring causing it to become depressed. I believe a happy mind is a Strong mind.
I had many people tell me I was a strong lady and that I was inspiring but little did they know I got the energy from the support of my friends. Of course my family was supportive, but that is expected isn’t it? My friends however, supported me spiritually, socially mentally and financially giving me a reason and the tools to fight and so I owe my progress to them. I am grateful to God for giving me such people.
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