In the world we live in, death is a heinously sensitive topic to speak of. Most people like to avoid talking about it or going through it at all possible costs. For many years, people have searched far and wide to find some kind of tangible cure for their eventual demise. In one particular case, there was a man who, quite frankly, didn’t give a damn about his death. This man was my grandfather. He is one very distinct example of the difference between a person before finding out they have cancer, and after finding out that they have cancer - and worse, that they are going to die because of it. Like most elderly folk, my grandpa lived a long and interesting life filled with tragedies. However, this never got the best of him. He grew up as a tiny baby right next …show more content…
He would always be there to protect us from the angry wrath of my grandmother after someone decided to break something around the house. Despite his arduous attempts, all of my grandfather’s life missions proved to be futile. Although he worked hard, finances were always a struggle. Later on in his life, the Bosnian War would hit, causing an even bigger drought. The war would drive one of his sons crazy enough to commit suicide. His parents would die, his long, lost brother would come back in contact with him only to disappear once again. All of this tragedy, and my grandpa still held his head high in the presence of my cousins and I. It would take me years after his death to realize what his life was actually like. As if all of this wasn’t bad enough, he would finally reach cancer from the endless cigarettes he smoked. One, two, three. On and off. The bane of his death, the cause of this cancer, was not stress from a chaotic life, not insanity from a rollercoaster of emotions, but from the very source of cancer itself - cigarettes. He finds out from the doctor. My grandma finds out. My grandma calls my parents, They tell
had. He had a very hard and painful childhood. He was treated very harshly by his family
he suffered through-out his life, ie. the war, the holocaust, his wife's suicide, and his heart disease.
When I know that money doesn’t matter in life it’s the connections to people and your family that make your life mean something special. While Ivan is screaming for two hours in bed in pain he says to his family “forgive”, but it came out “forget.” This is when he is fighting death and notices that his whole life he has been living it wrong and took everything for granted. As long as he and his wife “ moved in the best circles and there home was frequented by people of importance and by the young.”(Tolstoy 61) Ivan regretted all of this because he noticed that he was not just killing himself but his family as well. It took Ivan way to long in my opinion to see all the problems in his life, his wife and son truly loved the man and just wanted a happy family instead of the game they been playing. Both of these two men were trying to find away from death in their lives but always new it was coming you could say it was
Cancer is a deadly disease that millions of people die from a year. Many loved ones are killed with little to no warning affecting families across our world. My family happened to be one that was affected by this atrocious disease. This event changed the way my family members and I viewed cancer.
was marked by as much misfortune as was his military career. Not till his later
In conclusion, cancer is a disease that has impacted millions of people throughout history and the world. With the assistance of medical professionals; early, professional, and accurate diagnosis, treatment, and mental/ emotional support of family members, friends, and doctors, the emotional impact of cancer can become much more bearable.
A cancer diagnosis can significantly change your life and the lives of your family in various ways. Hearing the news “you’ve been diagnosed with cancer” leave patients and their families in a whirlwind of emotions. The initial shock of this diagnosis leaves feelings of sadness, denial, frustration, confusion, fear, anger, and often times the “why me?” feeling. Thoughts start going through your head regarding how this affects yourself, your family, and your everyday life.
unhappy year. Even as he worked as a delivery man, a messmate on ships to Africa and Europe,
HL: The more I drowned myself in the thought and fear of my cancer the more I realize it’s not going to go away so why waste time worrying about it when I can try to be like everyone else? People always die and I am a person. I know I am going to die eventually just like every other human being, but just because I die differently doesn’t mean I'm not like anyone else. I learned to accept my cancer as soon as I realized it’s not disappearing anytime soon.
Smoking is linked to multiple different forms of cancers such as lung, larynx (voice box), nose and sinuses, pharynx (throat), stomach, pancreas, kidney, and bladder to name a few. Lung cancer is the number one cause of death related to cancer for men and women and is very difficult to treat. A person with lung cancer not only has significant pain, but experiences anxiety related to the feeling of not getting enough oxygen. Besides cancer, smoking is linked to multiple other health problems – heart disease, aneurysms, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema. With heart disease, the nicotine in the blood increases the level of adrenaline which leads to an elevation of the blood pressure by causing blood vessels to constrict. This constriction of the blood vessels makes the heart pump harder resulting in an increased heart rate. An aneurysm in the brain can be caused by the hundreds of harmful toxins in cigarette smoke that weaken the wall of the brain’s blood vessels. The weaken blood vessels can rupture leading to a stroke or often death. Chronic bronchitis is caused by the toxic chemicals irritating the lining of the airway and leading to a buildup of mucus. The mucus is a natural
Steindorf is thankful that her doctor recognized that she was experiencing psychosocial late effects, but believes other cancer survivors and their doctors don’t pinpoint the problem soon enough.
From the very time of birth, each one of us is made differently. We all have the same cells, body parts, and makeup but we all have a different face to present to the world. We all have different situations, beliefs and personalities. One thing everyone, both young and old have in common is the possibility for cancer to become an obstacle in his or her life. Cancer is a disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells and has affected more than one million people each year just in the United States. As of now there is no cure to this disease, although there are many different forms of cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and many different places to receive this. Chemotherapy is used to treat cancer cells with drugs that have a toxic effect to your body. Chemotherapy is a very harsh and difficult treatment to go through but the outcome may be well worth it. This treatment is not for everyone, though and is no guarantee that these treatments will cure you. It is only the patient’s decision to choose … is it worth living and fighting for, or is it time for me to go? Being diagnosed with cancer can drastically change someone’s life, along with the lives around him or her. This is why it is a hard decision to decide whether or not to receive treatment for this deadly disease. If the decision is made to refuse treatment for cancer, the decision must be respect. There are many reasons people refuse treatment. It’s hard to tell whether it’s more painful to the diagnosed patient or to the family and friends that are involved. People who refuse treatment for cancer have good reasons. Everyone’s diagnosis is different with respect to support, money, and general outlook on life. If they do not have much of these things they a...
...el and formation of thrombi. Over 7000 chemicals found in tobacco smoke cause breathing difficulty, wheezing, lung infections and chest pain. The long-term effects of smoking can cause many cancers as it contains many carcinogens. It is the leading cause of cancer affecting the lungs, mouth, throat, kidney, stomach and many other areas. Not only do tobacco products affect the user, but also the ones around them. Second-hand smoke can increase lung cancer, heart and breathing problems, as well as a premature death. In pregnant women, the unborn baby may be subject to health problems. By eliminating tobacco products, not only do previous smokers reduce the risk of developing cancer, but also can reduce their chance of dying prematurely by a very large percentage. For example, quitting at the age of 30 can reduce their chance of dying prematurely by over 90 percent.
I have been very fortunate to have known my maternal and paternal grandparents and great-grandparents. We enjoy a close family and always have. Sadly, my first experience with a close death was when my paternal grandma died at the age of sixty-four of colon cancer. I was in the ninth grade when she died and hers’ was the first wake and funeral I had experienced. I remember having nightmares for weeks after the funeral. As I grew older, I lost my
His parents were very hard workers, his father was an air brake mechanic, at the