vseawright
Apr 21, 2012
Scholarship / James Rhio O'Connor Memorial Scholarship Essay Contest- "A Martyr for Alternatives" [2]
While I was in middle school, I was forced to accept a sad truth. That everything does not go exactly as planned, and sometimes, out of nowhere, bad things happen to good people. I was in seventh grade when I found out that my mom had cancer. For a while, she had been complaining about a pain in her abdomen, but none of us- my mom, my dad, my brothers, my sister, and I- had really thought too much of it. We simply assumed that she just ate something that didn't agree with her stomach. After the pain continued to grow, we decided to get it checked out and once again, we assumed. We were sure that it was appendicitis at the worst. We kept assuming and hoping that it was nothing serious. That everything was alright. That this was just a minor occurrence and that there was no need for worrying. But we were wrong. Immediately, the doctors realized that my mom had a major hemoglobin deficiency in her blood and they told her she was severely anemic. After giving her a series of blood transfusions, the doctors believed my mom had a disease that developed in her stomach, so they went into surgery. In the middle of the surgery, the doctors had found the true cause of my mom's pain. She had a malignant tumor in her colon. They believed that they had removed the majority of the tumor, but they still strongly recommended that my mom go through chemotherapy because the cancer cells could have spread. She did chemotherapy and as of today, she is a four year cancer survivor, and I am so blessed that she was able to go through surgery and receive chemotherapy because sadly, some people are not so lucky.
James Rhio O'Connor was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos as a child and his prognosis revealed that he had less than a year to live. Because the tumor was near his spine, he could not receive surgery, and chemotherapy was also not an option because it would not exponentially increase the length of his life, all it would do is decrease the quality of the last moments of his life. He, like many other unlucky cancer patients, was left without any clear solutions and very few options. But rather than accepting that his life would soon end, James Rhio O'Connor fought to save his life in this war against cancer. Rhio struggled for his life. He researched other options, different ways to slow and cure cancer. After researching, consulting clinicians, and devoting his life to beating mesothelioma, he lived seven and a half years past his prognosis.
Rhio is an inspiration to so many cancer survivors who are facing extreme obstacles. He is the voice of other options. If I was in a situation similar to Rhio's, I would do the same thing as him. I would not dwell in the negativity of the diagnosis because that would be giving up and letting cancer win the battle. I would fight for my life by researching and receiving support from friends and family. I would do everything in my capability to keep myself alive, just like James Rhio O'Connor. Many people, like myself, were unaware of other alternatives to surgery or chemotherapy; James Rhio O'Connor has brought light to the substitute routes. He has inspired so many people, along with myself; his determination and will to live has distinguished him as a martyr for cancer research. James Rhio O'Connor is the embodiment of taking cancer into your own hands, and finding a way out. He is the embodiment of hope.
While I was in middle school, I was forced to accept a sad truth. That everything does not go exactly as planned, and sometimes, out of nowhere, bad things happen to good people. I was in seventh grade when I found out that my mom had cancer. For a while, she had been complaining about a pain in her abdomen, but none of us- my mom, my dad, my brothers, my sister, and I- had really thought too much of it. We simply assumed that she just ate something that didn't agree with her stomach. After the pain continued to grow, we decided to get it checked out and once again, we assumed. We were sure that it was appendicitis at the worst. We kept assuming and hoping that it was nothing serious. That everything was alright. That this was just a minor occurrence and that there was no need for worrying. But we were wrong. Immediately, the doctors realized that my mom had a major hemoglobin deficiency in her blood and they told her she was severely anemic. After giving her a series of blood transfusions, the doctors believed my mom had a disease that developed in her stomach, so they went into surgery. In the middle of the surgery, the doctors had found the true cause of my mom's pain. She had a malignant tumor in her colon. They believed that they had removed the majority of the tumor, but they still strongly recommended that my mom go through chemotherapy because the cancer cells could have spread. She did chemotherapy and as of today, she is a four year cancer survivor, and I am so blessed that she was able to go through surgery and receive chemotherapy because sadly, some people are not so lucky.
James Rhio O'Connor was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos as a child and his prognosis revealed that he had less than a year to live. Because the tumor was near his spine, he could not receive surgery, and chemotherapy was also not an option because it would not exponentially increase the length of his life, all it would do is decrease the quality of the last moments of his life. He, like many other unlucky cancer patients, was left without any clear solutions and very few options. But rather than accepting that his life would soon end, James Rhio O'Connor fought to save his life in this war against cancer. Rhio struggled for his life. He researched other options, different ways to slow and cure cancer. After researching, consulting clinicians, and devoting his life to beating mesothelioma, he lived seven and a half years past his prognosis.
Rhio is an inspiration to so many cancer survivors who are facing extreme obstacles. He is the voice of other options. If I was in a situation similar to Rhio's, I would do the same thing as him. I would not dwell in the negativity of the diagnosis because that would be giving up and letting cancer win the battle. I would fight for my life by researching and receiving support from friends and family. I would do everything in my capability to keep myself alive, just like James Rhio O'Connor. Many people, like myself, were unaware of other alternatives to surgery or chemotherapy; James Rhio O'Connor has brought light to the substitute routes. He has inspired so many people, along with myself; his determination and will to live has distinguished him as a martyr for cancer research. James Rhio O'Connor is the embodiment of taking cancer into your own hands, and finding a way out. He is the embodiment of hope.
