Week 64 -Why do we fight

Why do we fight against cancer? Once you have cancer you are surely going to die. Maybe you can postpone the inevitable, by surgery, chemo or positive thinking, but sooner or later it will catch up with you. Surely we should simply recognise the facts, get our affairs in order, and resign ourselves to the inevitable?

I have read many stories of people who developed cancer or other serious diseases, and the main thread is always of someone fighting and fighting, gloriously, until the bitter end. Even the obituary that reads “… after an illness bravely borne…”. As if we go into battle knowing that the odds against us are stacked, and show enormous bravery in the battle.

Is it really like that?

An old friend of mine was ill with lung cancer. Not a serious problem, he said. Just one or two spots in the lungs. We’ve caught it early. We’ll cut them out, and after a few weeks I’ll be back at work. Well, it was not quite so simple, and they had to remove much of one lung. I wanted to visit him, but he said “Wait until I’m a little stronger.” Well, he did recover somewhat from the surgery, but the cancer had spread, and new spots appeared. After more surgery, he continued to be optimistic. And indeed did appear to be recovering, even went in to his office for a while. But the cancer spread more and more. And eventually he passed away.

Surely he should have known at the start that his end was near, and not bothered with all the surgery?

Over the last few years I have read many similar stories. I read again and again of someone who has stage III or stage IV melanoma, going through surgery and various kinds of therapies. Much pain and suffering, both for the patient, and for friends and family. I think “Why is this person doing all of this?” Surely it’s obvious that it has progressed too far for the current state of medical science to do anything about it. Surely he can see the writing on the wall, and should rather concentrate on what is most important – living out the remainder of one’s life, however short it may be, without entertaining false hopes of a miraculous recovery?

Why do we fight? That is the question.

For me the answer is tied with why we live and survive in the first place. Living in the modern world, with our knowledge, education, high living standards, communication and all the rest, we do not see what a battle it is just to survive. To be brought into the world. To be nurtured until we can stand on our own feet. To get enough food to eat. To be protected from the elements. To avoid accidents. To avoid threats from animals and other tribes, who would be only too pleased to take over our possessions, caves, animals, families, … To fight against diseases.

So, when I cut my finger and blood flows, do I roll over and wait for death? No, that would be stupid. I will fight against it, give myself time to recover, and have a reasonable chance of surviving.

If I break my leg and cannot walk? What then, shoot myself? Of course not. I give it care and attention, and with time and luck and good care it heals, and I can walk again, even forget it ever happened.

And so we get to the more serious afflictions. Whatever happens to me, I try to work out the best way of getting around it, the best way to recover. Whatever it takes.

And so it is with cancer. We are learning much about cancer: How to avoid it; How to cut it out; How to fight it with medicine and radiation. And not all of these will be successful.

But to give up?

The answer lies in one word: Hope. If we are not able to look forward with hope, then the battle is indeed lost. We need to keep hope alive, whatever the odds stacked against us. And this means to fight: With everything we have at our disposal. With surgery, medicines and drugs. With prayer. With positive thoughts. With music. With love.

Is it so surprising that people fight to the very end?

Written in memory of John, Bob, Robin, Margie, Sarah, Kim and all the others out there who have fought the good fight.