Would you rather know that you have cancer or prefer to live normally??
By cyclopz
@cyclopz (251)
Sydney, Australia
March 9, 2012 12:13pm CST
I just thought about it when my sister told me a while ago that we already had two relatives who have cancer. Although i'm not quite aware who they are and what kind of cancer they have it still brings a sad feeling just thinking how they feel after knowing about their condition. I'm not quite sure if there is already a cure for cancer but from what i have heard before it is an incurable disease.
I think if i had such disease i would prefer not to be aware about it and just continue living my life as is, i think it would be much better than living my life while counting the number of days left for me to live my life. Maybe that is why some people usually say that we should live life to the fullest becase we won't know what would happen tomorrow. Maybe some people would rather know if they have such disease so that they could do everything they like in this life before passing away.
Although I could not say that i'm living my life to the fullest everyday but i could say that I'm ready anytime if our Creator wants me to leave this world.
How about you?
What do you think about this?
Would you rather be aware that your days are already numbered or do you prefer not to know about it and just continue to live your life as is?
Thanks for sharing guys.
8 people like this
20 responses
@magester1 (148)
• Argentina
9 Mar 12
I think you can't really know what you'd prefer until it happened, that would be too late, unfortunately.
I'd rather know about having cancer, I think you could plan the rest of your life accordingly that way. But I've always been the kind of persons who likes to be aware of everything that's going on in his life, so to others I'm sure it won't be the same.
1 person likes this
@cyclopz (251)
• Sydney, Australia
12 Mar 12
I agree, it would be quite hard to say until you are in that situation. One person might say one thing but do something different after knowing that he/she has such condition. Sometimes i would think it would be much better if one person won't see it coming to avoid too much worries. I think for most people it would be quite hard to enjoy live knowing that their days are already numbered.
Anyways, thanks for sharing magester.
@hetharia44 (63)
• United States
9 Mar 12
I would rather know that I have cancer, that way I can do what ever I can to cure the cancer. If I ignore it, and prefer to live normaly, I don't think is good. Is no good because our family has to deal with my decision later on. I have a friend that decided not to deal with her cancer. She passed away a month ago. Her 3 kids paid the price. Have to grow up without a mother. Is not fair for them. Cancer and other illnes is cureable. Early detection can help rather than ignorance.
@Sunset50 (1397)
• United States
1 Apr 12
I had an irregular mole I had ignored for years and as you, I always said if it's my time to die I am ready. But when the doctor comfirmed I had cancer and it was in the final stage, I told the doctor to go ahead with treatments. I am now in remission and glad I followed my instints on what should be done.
@soulist (2985)
• United States
12 Mar 12
I was diagnosed with cancer and I have to say that if I had to do it again I would want to know. The form of cancer that I had is curable, who knows what could have happened if I didn't get the treatment I needed. Because of my diagnosis I look at things differently and appreciate things more than I did before. It changed my life for the better.
@blue65packer (11826)
• United States
9 Mar 12
I would want to know if I had cancer! Then I would get off my butt and do some of the things I have on my bucket list! I would do everything I can do to defeat it but it doesn't happen I want to do things! Like spend time with my family,go on some trips and other things on my ist. I don't want to waste my time I would still have on here!
@myzhian (584)
• Philippines
14 Mar 12
I would rather know it that I have a cancer, I am a strong person to face all the consequences and hardships it would brought me. I know I would be suffering from pain and illness but it is the only way to prove to yourself and to god that you are ready with every test of your life. Better to know whatever sickness you will have so that you can inform your love ones and your family about the disease and better for them to have an early examination to avoid similar circumstances.
@kat_princess (1470)
• Philippines
11 Mar 12
I'd definitely want to know if I have any sickness.If I was told that I have cancer & that my days are numbered,I'd just go about and live my life & be grateful for everything especially my healing.A woman who shared her story in the film "The Secret" did the same.Three months after she was diagnosed,she was completely healed w/o radiation or chemo.Faith can really move mountains.As the bible said,"nothing is impossible for the one who believes wholeheartedly."
@applefreak (3130)
• Singapore
11 Mar 12
i certainly would want to know if i have cancer. it's not possible to live 'normally' when you have cancer. yes maybe when it's still at stage 1 or 2, but that's when it's the most curable too. many people survive and live a long life when they discover their cancer at the earlier stage.
when it's in stage 3 or 4, that's when people find out. because the pain becomes unbearable. it's impossible to live life normally because the pain will be so bad. morphine, otherwise illegal, are given to cancer patients living their last days because that's the only thing that makes the pain not so bad. it doesn't make the pain go away, just kind of less so.
so if i have cancer, i want to know so that i can get it treated early. many types of cancer can be treated if discovered early. i want to live so i want to be treated early.
another reason for knowing is so i can fulfill my bucket list. i try to live my life to the fullest too but there are things i put off doing. i put them off simply because i want to go on living. if i start fulfilling my bucket list now, i probably have to work till the day i die. so now i put aside money towards retirement so that i have enough when i stop working to both live and fulfill my bucket list.
when it's in stage 3 or 4, that's when people find out. because the pain becomes unbearable. it's impossible to live life normally because the pain will be so bad. morphine, otherwise illegal, are given to cancer patients living their last days because that's the only thing that makes the pain not so bad. it doesn't make the pain go away, just kind of less so.
so if i have cancer, i want to know so that i can get it treated early. many types of cancer can be treated if discovered early. i want to live so i want to be treated early.
another reason for knowing is so i can fulfill my bucket list. i try to live my life to the fullest too but there are things i put off doing. i put them off simply because i want to go on living. if i start fulfilling my bucket list now, i probably have to work till the day i die. so now i put aside money towards retirement so that i have enough when i stop working to both live and fulfill my bucket list. @jaisundar (215)
•
11 Mar 12
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@p1kef1sh (45681)
•
10 Mar 12
I have cancer. When you know what the matter is you (or at least me) find the strength to deal with it from somewhere. I have a major operation in five days time and frankly that scares me more than the cancer itself. If my time is up then so be it. But I have EVERY intention in fighting on. I don't want to know how many days I have left, we all live not knowing if today will be our last. But I do think that we should all start to love more and take things a little less for granted. Life is wonderful, enjoy it.
@sminut13 (1783)
• Singapore
11 Mar 12
hmm this just brought to mind a drama which i watched recently where the hero had cancer and all. it was quite sad. i wrote about it in my blog as i really enjoyed it.
looking at it from different angles, i'm sure there are many who would like to know and many who would prefer to be unaware too. i would most probably fall in the former category as i too am the type of person who'd like to ensure that my kids are all settled, everyone is ok, have my businesses(personal of course, since i don't have any business:P) settled.
and i'd try my best to fight the disease as i'm sure i would want to live. but i'd enjoy life at the same time too. do things that i've always wanted to do.
but it is really sad to know that your time here is limited. that's really heart breaking. so sometimes, i feel that maybe not knowing would be better. but then again, i'd still prefer to know.
@tiffnkeat (1673)
• Singapore
10 Mar 12
I am a coward. I would prefer to not know and live my life, hoping I die someday in my sleep then to know and panic and forget how to live life. Once you know, you spend the days worrying about it, trying to seek the best doctors who will drain your money and poke needle everywhere. Yes, there is a chance you will live, but you end up living in misery too and with worries how to pay off those medical bills. Whatever little I have, I would rather have my family use them for their living than to leave them a debt they cannot pay the doctors in case the medical treatments didn't help.
Each day to me is already undeserved grace. Everyday is a good day to live, and also to die.
At least that is what I think. Some may think I am selfish in this opinion. I can understand.
@ecaron (678)
• Canada
10 Mar 12
Sometimes, I wonder if we are predisposed to getting cancer or something because so many people get it. What surprises me is that some people who never smoked get lung cancer and some who smoke all their life die in an accident or something, life is funny that way, I suppose. Anyway, I don't really care if I know or not if I had cancer. It's so common nowadays that people probably wouldn't treat me any different I suppose. When my time comes I just hope I am ready to meet god and he will except me with all my sins and so on.
@olliekobra1 (1825)
•
10 Mar 12
I think that i would prefer to know that way you can spend as time with your family as you can and you can also enjoy what little time you have left, i would definatly want to know.
@rogue13xmen13 (14403)
• United States
10 Mar 12
It depends. If it is Stage 1 to 3, then I think that I would want to know so that I could fight it, but if it is Stage 4, then I wouldn't want to know.
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
9 Mar 12
Its long been suspected that no one catches cancer or even contracts it, because every one is living with cancer cells in their body. This makes it much easier to live a normal life knowing that we all have it and depending on our life style, we may never develop the disease. Personally I believe it may depend on our thinking, as much as our other physical habits. One thing I am certain of is that when we put our lives under stress we are inviting those latent cancer cells to develop.
@savypat (20216)
• United States
9 Mar 12
I guess I am a fighter, I want to know the thing I am fighting and do what I can to beat it. Cancer is a bad way to die and sure many of the things you have to go through to stop it are also bad but at this point in my life I'd like the chance to win.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
9 Mar 12
I would prefer to know that I had cancer. Of course it would be very hard to get that kind of message, but I still prefer to know the truth. If I knew that I was going to die very soon I would plan how to spend my last time. I have dreams about things that I want to do in the future and if I found out that I had cancer I would do some of those things right now instead of waiting. I would visit some of the places that I have always dreamed about and I would go back to some of my favourite places and visit them one last time.
I would spend as much time with my family as possible and I would also make a few other changes. I would only be able to deal with the situation and make plans for my last months if I knew the truth, so for me it is would be better to know the truth.
@marguicha (222756)
• Chile
9 Mar 12
I have cancer and I don´t count the days I have left. They could be more than the life span of a young and healthy person that is run down by a car or that of a young boy who is sent to wars by full of power people who would not send their own children.
The only illness with no known cure (and noone will ever find it) is the terminal illness of having been born. We must all die. Yet we can choose how to live. So, let´s live well and usefully. My life has been wonderful, in spite of pains and losses as it happens to everyone. Carpe diem, cyclopz!
@almond24 (1248)
• Hungary
10 Mar 12
I'm quite sure that the desire to live is stronger that anything...
But in the case of a cancer diagnosis, I wonder what means life. I guess if it could be removed by surgery I would want to hear about it, but in case the treatments are only meant to make my life a little bit and my suffering much longer, then I wouldn't want to know.
I want to live my life the fullest as long as I am allowed to by our Creator. I wanna be ready to go when it's time.
