Sometimes I see discussions about the word ‘battle’ in relation with cancer. Some people find the word offensive because it would imply that you have not done your best to survive cancer when you die. This is what people call a lost battle.
I think this discussion is a shame and a waste of energy. Cancer is a terrible disease that happens to you and everyone deals with it in their own way. You can’t control someone else’s feelings about this.
I understand the word battle in relation to cancer. From experience I can say that the entire journey of my breast cancer feels as a battle. Mentally I have been fighting since the diagnosis, if only because of the sometimes impossible choices I have to make. I was not physically harmed by the tumor, but since the operation my body has also started to battle.
A year later, I’m still mentally battling: dealing with the rollercoaster of last year and all the uncertainty. In addition, my body is working hard on healing and battling the consequences of the operation, radiation and hormone therapy.
In order not to feel completely left at the mercy of the doctors and to still have some control over my body and mind, I took the initiative to eat sugar-free. I’m not sure if this helps against cancer, but I do know that (refined) sugar is not good for anyone. For a sweet tooth like me it was quite a battle in the beginning, but it feels good to do something extra myself, something that is right for my body.
I fight, BUT no matter what happens, I will never consider this a lost battle. You can’t win or lose with cancer. It happens to you and you do with what you have.
I can also say that I have experienced the illness trajectory of a young friend as a battle. I saw up close how intense it was with the Ewing Sarcoma she had to deal with. Hospitals, doctors, treatments that she knew would make her miserable at first, family members, friends and acquaintances and above all: dealing with her own body and mind. Sometimes you have to rise above yourself and words like battle, fight and strength are very appropriate in my opinion.