Published: September 21, 2007 04:27 pm            

REFLECTIONS: Faith and friends help fight disease

A wealthy friend once said to me, “If you don’t have your health, you have nothing.” I was younger at the time, and did not realize the absolute truth in that statement. He was talking from experience, though, having watched his father suffer and wither away with colorectal cancer. All the money in the world could not bring his father back. That was years ago. Since then, I have lost many people in my life to illness. My father — congestive heart failure; my aunt — breast cancer; and our cousin — colorectal cancer. My sister is currently battling lymphoma and her prognosis is not positive.

As well, I have two close friends who have been diagnosed with cancer. Darlene and Tracy.

It was at a home jewelry party when Darlene broke the news about her diagnosis. She had stage 4 melanoma. We were speechless, yet did not truly comprehend the severity of the disease. Driving home, I had hope that she would beat it. After doing some Internet research, I understood that her chances of doing so were slim, as stage 4 melanoma is typically fatal. We struggled with the news. Worried about her children, both young boys (ages 6 and 3), and how her family would manage without her. She was 36. Darlene called upon her faith to get her through the tough decisions she had to make; like giving her husband permission to marry again to insure that her boys would grow up with a mother. And to forgo her doctor’s recommendation to begin interferon treatments. Although it would prolong her life for one year, it would rob her of the physical strength she needed to lift her crying son from his bed.

It was not the first time a close friend had been diagnosed with cancer. Our friend Tracy, as well, was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was just 38. She and her family were living in Germany for a year when she got the news. Our hearts were broken that she had to suffer in a foreign country without a support system. After some swift and very aggressive treatments and several hundred dollar phone bills, she was home to gain comfort and strength from her lifelong friends.

My family and friends are not the only ones whose lives have been affected. As the incidence rises each year, more and more of us will be stricken with some form of cancer or will know someone who will be. It is the second leading cause of death in America. In New York, prostrate/breast cancer, lung cancer and colorectal cancer have the highest prevalence. Doctors claim that new cancer cases and deaths can be prevented by adopting healthier lifestyles — avoiding tobacco, increasing physical activity and improving nutrition. I, for one, am determined to do everything in my power to prevent it. Not for me, but for my family and friends, so they don’t have to witness my slow and inevitable demise. Reading as much as I can, I’ve learned that taking vitamin E, garlic and fish oil supplements might help prevent some forms of cancer. It also makes sense to eat foods closest to their natural state and to avoid red meat.

Just recently, we celebrated Darlene’s anniversary of being cancer free for five years and Tracy’s sixth year anniversary. They both had a will to live, the strength to fight, a positive attitude and a support system of family and friends to depend on. Darlene sees life in a whole new way. She never takes her health for granted and lives each day in appreciation of all that she is blessed with. Darlene and Tracy were two of the lucky ones. Others have not been so lucky. My friend Beth had to say good-bye to her dad, whose death was swift after his diagnosis, yet still painful to watch. Beth was a pillar of strength and a witness to her enduring faith.

I now know what my friend meant when he made that statement long ago. I’d like to add “without faith, a close knit family, and the support of loving friends, you have nothing.”

Linda Crist is a member of the Greater Niagara Newspapers advertising department and a Grand Island resident.

        

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