Who Beats Cancer? (Guest Blog Post - Rachel's Friend Cindy)

Who beats cancer?  Who are the people that you see on TV who talk about how they defied the odds and slayed the monster that is cancer? 

There is an article on Triathlon Competitor online that describes how John Klish, a 30-year-old deaf triathlete and engineer beat his cancer.  He attributes his success at the hard work he's put in ever since he was young.  Deaf Triathlete Beats Cancer

We can't forget about Lance Armstrong either.  He says that he "never felt like he was dying".  Might that be what made him a success story?  Lance Armstrong TC

My maternal grandfather fought it and lost - but then again he'd lived a life full of hard work, success, sadness, children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren.  My maternal grandmother fought the cancer monster too and lost the battle less than a year after her husband (my grandfather) passed. 

I don't want to leave anyone feeling depressed, though.  My friend's toddler son had a devastating form of cancer.  While he fought for his life in a hospital bed, the doctors pulled Dana into a conference room to tell her that her son was going to die.  Ironically, it was at that moment that she knew that her son wouldn't die from cancer.  She told me that it was like God spoke to her and told her that her son would.  He battled his cancer for 6 years and beat it. 

So I guess the question is now how we define beating cancer, but when we define beating cancer.  Maybe all of our friends and family who are afflicted by the awful disease beat it every day that they continue to grace us with their presence.  Maybe that is how we should measure fighters like Rachel - as winners who are victorious already. 

Or maybe the only person who can measure Rachel's success is Rachel herself.  But in my book, she is victor already. 

Cindy Rios-Myers
http://www.cindyrios.blogspot.com/