Hope & will to live

‘Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.’ (Romans 12:12)

While waiting outside the consultation room for my surgeon to review my cancer marker and C T scan reports a couple of days ago, I saw a poster on the wall with this caption, ‘There is no medicine such as hope’. Indeed, the strongest instinct a person has is survival instinct. Hope gives us staying power even when we are in very challenging situations. When I read the remarkable cancer story of Lance Armstrong, the famous American cyclist who was recently banned by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) for life and stripped of his Tour de France titles for failing to answer doping charges, I couldn’t help but asked myself this pertinent question- would I give up hope if I was to be in the same kind of situation as him? 

Lance had ignored ominous symptoms for months, the soreness in his groin, bad headaches and difficulty in breathing, thought it is normal for a professional athlete to experience such aches and pains. One day while at home, he suffered a blinding headache and coughing up blood. By then, his testicle had swollen to three times its normal size. Later on same day in 1996 he was diagnosed with advanced 3rd-stage testicular cancer which had metastasized into his lymph nodes, abdomen, lungs and brain. The first team of doctors he consulted pulled his mom aside and told her she should prepare herself to lose her only child. He underwent two surgeries, one to remove his cancerous testicle and another to remove two cancerous lesions on his brain. Over a three-month period, he received four rounds of gruesome chemo. The doctors estimated that he had about a 40 percent chance of surviving. They later admitted his chances of surviving were actually much lower. His cancer went into complete remission miraculously, and by January 1998 he was back to serious training for bicycle racing. 

Below are some excerpts of what Armstrong said about his cancer experience: 

“I can now say that my life is better because of my cancer experience. I appreciate my life in a completely new and better way because I faced cancer and was lucky enough to survive.” 

“I also think that a person with cancer needs to seek out support from friends and family. I had a group of people there for me—to listen to me, cheer me on or remind me that I wasn't really alone. I was lucky to know that other people were invested in my survival; you can never overestimate the benefit of that kind of support and friendship.”

“Hope is the greatest weapon a person has. Ask the tough questions, get a second opinion, take care of yourself, and do whatever you have to do to keep hope alive.”