Coping with cancer

 

How to live with your diagnosis

With over a million Americans diagnosed with cancer each year, the grim reality is part of our everyday lives. People are living longer, habits are changing, and the disease itself has mutated to include more than 200 known variations that afflict humans. Unfortunately, it looks as though cancer rates are on the rise. There is hope, however - for you and your loved ones if a positive diagnosis is indeed made. Living with cancer is becoming more and more common, as millions of dollars of research are resulting in many successful treatments.

Funding Your Care

There is no easy route, however, for those diagnosed with the disease. Treatment options are mainly difficult, seemingly never ending in cases, and commonly very expensive. Fortunately, there is financial help for cancer patients available. For example, some life insurance policies allow the policyholder to cash out their settlement via life settlements, often called Viatical Settlements. Therefore, the policyholder becomes the beneficiary and can utilize the lump sum of cash in the fighting of their disease.

Educating Yourself

For many, the entire world of cancer is an unknown. It’s a mysterious disease even to the most educated, and the majority of us know very little about it. With over 200 different forms, it seems as though it can manifest itself in any part of our body. And while some forms of cancer receive mass levels of attention across multimedia, others are virtually unrecognized - despite similar, if not higher mortality rates.

It’s important to educate yourself about all the aspects of the disease that may affect you or your loved ones. Come to terms with the realistic chances of survival, but also teach yourself about the one-in-a-million victory stories. Give yourself an understanding about your enemy and you will learn the best way to defeat it. It takes great levels of strength to beat cancer, but it is also next to impossible without great amounts of knowledge.

Live Positively

Thinking optimistically will make all the difference in a patient’s chances of survival. In the words of Henry Ford, “If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right.” Strength  lies in both the mind and body of a patient, and support of their loved ones gives them a proper foundation. Fighting cancer is one of the most difficult ongoing struggles that people face today. It’s important to take it seriously, and approach it with steeled nerves and a ready spirit, but it is arguably more important to bring a positive attitude to every encounter. Even when it seems as though the odds are entirely against you, remember, all it takes is one person to make a one-in-a-million story come true.

The Prognosis

As we said above, cancer is nothing to be taken lightly. In 2007, it was responsible for roughly 13% of all human deaths worldwide and the diagnosis rate has risen every year since. Fortunately, advancements are constantly being made and there are comforting options for patients and their families. Financial help for cancer patients is available through very helpful life insurance companies. A variety of treatments are available, both for physical healing and mental well-being, and the success rate is growing with every patient. A cancer diagnosis is no longer a death sentence.

About the author:

Dale Canten is a yoga instructor and health enthusiast.