Thursday, September 20, 2012

A Tribute to You.

Lately I've been pondering upon the illness known as cancer. I don't even really know what it is, but it has intrigued me. It's gotten me thinking of how badly I want to save lives, save people who suffer from this. Hematology and Oncology are fields that I'm actually looking into, even though they're pretty far fetched for me. ha. But I think, in the end, it would be the patients who would make it. I think it would be life changing not only for them, but for me.
Cancer. Think of how many lives it has changed and, sadly perhaps taken. Now I want you to think of a person you know or have heard of that has cancer.. it didn't take too long before someone's face or name popped into your head. It appears to be sweeping around the world, but the way I like to view it is as a miraculous happenstance. Early before cancer was cancer and diseases were diseases, people just died of natural causes. Because of education, we've been able to pin a logical name down onto this killer and have actually been able to defeat it more often than not.
I recently finished Lance Armstrong's book It's Not About the Bike. I personally think it's what got me so interested in the whole charade. As I read about the hardships and heartaches and pains of going through chemotherapy, I grew sympathetic. You never really know how good you have it until you see or even experience the other side. He had a 3% chance of living. 3%. He beat the odds, and not only defeated cancer, but came back on the bike and won the Tour de France multiple times. This was the highlight of his life. Towards the end of the book, Lance says, The truth is, if you asked me to choose between winning the Tour de France and cancer, I would choose cancer. Odd as it sounds, I would rather have the title of cancer survivor than winner of the Tour, because of what it has done for me as a human being, a man, a husband, a son, and a father." Cancer survivors are summed up in one word: strength.
Back to knowing people personally who have cancer. We're coming up on October which, if I'm not mistaken, is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But I'd like to take this opportunity and tribute this tiny little post that probably barely anyone will see, to everyone and anyone out there who has had or currently has some form of cancer. Auntie Jen, little Graham, Kalina, Ronan(Taylor Swift), and so many more who have taught us to enjoy life. It's crazy how they are the physically weak ones, yet they are the strongest people in the world. So, this one is for all of you. Keep fighting and finish strong. You never know when your finish line is gonna come and you never know what it's going to be like, but God does. He has a more important plan in store for you and loves you.
It's really not about the bike, or the clothes, or the hair, or the music or the new iphone. It's about learning to truly live.

As Abraham Lincoln once said, "It's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years."
Likewise to John Schmidt's masterpiece, Tribute (in previous post), this Taylor Swift song can relate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J2OF1S3iSI

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