I recently read an article in the New York Times about a woman diagnosed with cancer. The first doctor gave her six months to live. The second and third said chemotherapy might buy her a little time, but that was her only option, A fourth offered to operate. The patient’s name is Karen Pasqualetto, and in her support group, she talks about “being saddened to hear how other patients with advanced disease take the word of a single oncologist. She says if she had done that, she would already be dead. Unfortunately, this scenario is all too common, and is yet another example showing that in order to survive cancer you MUST have money, access to hospitals, personal drive and motivation, an education, the ability to sort through the medical world and the insurance maze. Time and time again, “Type A” people are conquering cancer, due to their own determination and tenacity. It shouldn’t have to be that way, but the more I talk to patients across the country, the more I find that the successful ones (and that has MANY different definitions) share that same characteristic. Think about this: there is no one exactly the same as you are. So why would we assume that the standard protocol given to the guy/gal next to you in the waiting room would be exactly what you need? We need to recognize two concepts—that each of us is indeed different and our approaches to how we fight cancer will be different, and (and this is the most important one!) that it’s okay to look out for yourself. Yesterday I talked to a another long-term survivor, who’s mantra is ” Don’t be a sheep. Question everything and be your own best advocate!”
