My Advice for the Recently Diagnosed

Every now and then, I get emails from newly-diagnosed cancer warriors or loved ones of the recently diagnosed. We discuss treatment options, diet and exercise, acupuncture, reiki -- the whole nine yards. But what I really want to say to all of those battling cancer is this:

Don't believe your doctors.

I'm not saying discount everything your doctors say or skip chemo or surgery in the hopes of expelling cancer through meditation. And I'm not saying your doctors aren't incredibly intelligent and caring people who only want you to be well. I love my doctors as much as my little WunderGlo heart can, as I've made clear on this blog.

What I mean is this: your doctors don't know everything. They don't know why you got cancer, why it spread, if chemo will kill it, and if it will ever come back. Despite theories and studies and hunches, doctors don't truly understand cancer. If they did, we'd all be cured.

These statements may be unsettling to you, but they shouldn't be. They should be empowering. Only you truly know your body, and only you can truly measure your will to live. Doctors can't quantify how a person's will to live affects their survival or death. Only you can.

So take charge of your disease. Be the leader. Let the doctors concoct the chemo and scalpel the cancer out of your body, but don't let their statistics or opinions win the day. You are in charge. You are the warrior. Your doctors are your brilliant and caring sidekicks, but only you can beat the hell out of cancer.

And you will.