Hidden Strength

Robin's father passed away from cancer many years ago. His final weeks were spent at the hospital receiving treatments. One night, as Robin and I drove home from visiting him, we talked about what the chemo was doing to his body. At first we thought if either of us ever got cancer we would refuse chemo but after more discussion we came around to a different conclusion. We thought that we couldn't know what we would do unless we were actually put into that position to make our own personal life-and-death decision.

In the same way, most of us probably couldn't comprehend how we would respond if we (or our significant other) were diagnosed with cancer. I've heard stories about couples who became closer and of other couples who were split apart by the news. Certainly Robin and I had our own personal issues and our relationship issues before the cancer. We weren't perfect but I guess we managed through life OK. Somehow the cancer journey helped cut through all that stuff and allowed us to focus on the one critical issue for those eight months. I never would have guessed at the capabilities each of us would show throughout that period.

I can tell you that (faced with cancer in your life) you have the capability to find strength, resolve and persistence that you've never known before. I can tell you that it's possible for you to keep a sense of humor throughout the hardest of times. I can tell you that whatever issues you were dealing with prior to the diagnosis, it's possible for all of them to fall to the wayside while you focus on the task at hand. It may not be easy. There may be times when you stumble. But you can keep going at whatever rate suits your needs: one-day-at-a-time, one-hour-at-a-time, one-moment-at-a-time.