James Rhio O'Connor Scholarship - Life Worth Living

It takes a very special kind of determination to handle the everyday tribulations of living with cancer. Fortunately there are people like James O’Connor for inspiration. James “Rhio” O’Connor was diagnosed with Mesothelioma, a cancer of the upper body, and given one year to live. Despite the unquestionable emotional devastation, Rhio stayed clear minded and decided to take matters into his own hands. Instead of taking the typical approach to fighting cancer, Rhio found it best to do his own research. This way he could determine how his own body felt, diagnose his own symptoms, and treat each one accordingly. It is not common to use the ‘alternative’ approach when battling cancer, but Rhio took great pride in the research he was conducting and made great advances in the use of natural substances to treat his Mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by the inhalation of asbestos. It inhibits the use of the lungs and respiratory systems in the body by attacking the mesothelium, the soft outer cells of organs (cancermonthly). The symptoms are those common of a multitude of other illnesses and can often go undetected as cancer. This can lead to a short prognosis because the cancer is often spread beyond control. In Rhio’s case, he was given a short term and a bleak outlook for survival. Fortunately, this is not always true. In some cancers early detection is the best way to fight and cure the disease. Some require only surgery, some radiation, and others a mix of both. Chemotherapy is considerably the harshest of the ‘typical’ treatments and is the cause of hair loss, weight loss, and nutrition problems. During his battle, Rhio worked with clinicians to render a disease fighting routine of supplements, and made dietary and lif...

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...oal is to research natural drug substances in cancer patients. It has been an interest of mine for some time due to witnessing my father living with cancer and seeing the toll it took on him. I think it would be absurd yet quite interesting to use myself as a test subject, of sorts. If I was able to perform cancer research on myself, make advancements toward natural treatments, and ultimately lead to a cure for cancer, I would find death to be infinitely more meaningful. Rhio’s will to live was unprecedented. It was due to the acceptance of his fate that he could willingly control his emotions and spend hours researching how to cure his Mesothelioma instead of spending hours trying to treat an incurable disease. Anyone could ask Rhio a whole six years after his prognoses of only one year if he was satisfied with his decision; I am utmost positive his answer was yes.