Permanent

Seven Time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong said, ~If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages then maybe we can learn from them. When you think about it, what choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or Fight Like Hell.~ Without a doubt, cancer is considered the second most common cause of death in the United States with heart disease being at the top. For it's truly a staggering statistic indeed when you learn that about 1,536,670 new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed and that about 571, 950 Americans are expected to die of cancer with more than 1,500 people dying a day in 2011 alone. However, there are those who have not only continued to fight the good fight, but were able to beat the odds as well.

Let me ask you this question to those who know someone or are that someone who was diagnosed with cancer, what do you think was/is the most difficult part of the process? I think it would be safe to say looking in or being looked at in the eyes is considerably difficult to do because quite frankly it can truly be tough to put into words concerning the health and well being of a close friend/family member. Thinking about it, what can you say to someone you love/care about that's been a part of your life for a certain number of years or since you were born except prayers will be given on their/your behalf all-the-while promising yourself/themselves tears will not be shown. Unfortunately, that particular promise tends to be broken because of the ties that bind in regards to the personal connection one has with him/her/you.

If you think about it, when a person has cancer they go through their own personal hell before, during, and after treatments. Essentially, the treatments that are commonly used primarily consist of prescription medicine in order to fight leukemia, which also include chemotherapy, biological therapy, targeted therapy, radiation therapy, and stem cell transplants. There is no doubt the pain one goes through is incredibly excruciating so much so loves ones want nothing than to ask God to take the pain away to the point of praying to have it placed their painful burden of what their experiencing on to their own shoulders. You see, as much as it is tortuous for those with cancer to go through the treatments its absolutely tortuous for those who are unable to to do anything about it but be a strong, positive support system for him/her/you.

For the question can be asked to those who are currently fighting their own battle with cancer, have you ever thought to yourself you were all alone while going through your painfully difficult ordeal? Hey, it's considered normal to think that way as one has the mindset in which no one else understands/knows what you're/they're going though causing him/her/you to be angry? Why? If I fair to guess it would most definitely be due to the fact those close to him/her/you were trying to empathize with what one is feeling to where bottled up emotions are unleashed bringing out a certain amount of frustration, anger, stress, bitterness, etc. Let me tell you something, even though you don't want to take what's said personally you do but in spite of it you/they continue to stick by your side no matter what.

Nikolai Lenin once said. ~The most important thing in illness is never to lose heart.~ In retrospect, the resiliency of the human heart is quite remarkable when facing times of great hardships, especially when going through the treatment of cancer. True, one's immune system weakens leading to possible infections that cannot be fought off, bone weakness to where they can become fragile, physically fatigued/exhausted all the time, difficulty in eating, etc. are just a number of things a cancer patient goes through. Yet, it's all worth it when a person doesn't or refuses to give up for that matter and successfully beats it because he/she/you has that never say die cancer will not beat me I will beat it mentality. In the end, all that is associated with cancer such as pain, medication, and treatment are temporary but the love, as well as the support of family/friends are always permanent, which is a song by 2008 American Idol Season 7 Winner David Cook that best reflects this thought because he lost his brother Adam to a brain tumor.