“You have cancer.” Nothing prepared me for those words, and I wanted to wish them away. After all, I was just starting a degree program. I didn’t have time to be sick or wonder if I’d ever graduate. And it wasn’t even the first time my family had heard that diagnosis in my first months of going back to school. Just weeks earlier, my dad had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.Then it was my turn—endometrial cancer.

Now, almost three years later, I have learned a lot in school, but I learned even more from having cancer. Cancer changed my life. Today, I know how I feel about death. I know what I would regret the most if I died. I don’t think anyone can face cancer and escape those questions, but cancer isn’t just about dying. It’s about living too. Choosing life. Choosing to take charge of cancer.

That’s exactly what Rhio O’ Conner did; he chose to take charge of mesothelioma cancer rather than let it take charge of him. Doctors told him to prepare to die, but he chose life. He took charge of his cancer. “Working with professional clinicians, he formulated a regimen of over 100 supplements a day, changed his diet, practiced mind-body medicine, and relied on his own discipline to see him through the difficult times ahead. Rhio survived for over seven extra years through his determination, knowledge, inexorable spirit, belief in something greater than himself, and the ability to make tough choices -qualities that spell success in any endeavor”
( http://www.survivingmesothelioma.com/rhiooconnor.cfm ). He is a great example of something everyone with cancer can choose to do.

Choices are crucial to beating cancer. I watched my dad choose to seek alternative care when his own doctor didn’t respond quickly with an appointment. Rather than wait and avoid facing his diagnosis, he chose to travel further and spend more to see an expert in pancreatic cancer. He chose doctors who proposed quick action. He chose immediate surgery. He chose to live.

While facing the possibility of losing my dad to pancreatic cancer, an almost guaranteed death sentence, I knew something wasn’t right with my body either. I wanted it to be. I wanted to ignore the changes, ignore the symptoms. I wanted to focus on my dad and my studies, but like my dad I chose to get answers. I chose to see a doctor, to make time for procedures and surgery. Ultimately, I chose to live.

Science is still trying to identify the causes and cures for cancer. Science knew enough to tell me what kind of cancer I had and what stage it was in. Science could scan my body to see if cancer was anywhere else. Science could tell me that my cancer wasn’t genetic even though they thought it might be. But unfortunately cancer can’t keep people like me from getting it—not yet anyway. That’s why I am proposing a solution that anyone can do—choose to take charge.

What does taking charge look like? Here’s what I discovered.

1. Choose to take charge of your body. I knew something was wrong with my body, but I didn’t go to the doctor right away. I hoped the symptoms would go away, but they didn’t.
2. Choose a doctor who will take action. I asked friends to recommend a doctor who would be proactive to take action if needed. If the first doctor doesn’t follow up, find another one who will.
3. Choose to listen. For me, it’s a lot easier to go to the doctor than to do what he says. But days matter when it comes to cancer. Our choices matter. I found out I might have made lifestyle choices that increased the odds of cancer. But after watching quick action save my dad’s life, I knew I had to choose to follow the doctor’s recommendations now, not later when it was more convenient or when I couldn’t bear the pain.
4. Choose to live. For me, that meant getting out of bed when I wanted to stay curled up under the covers. I wasn’t ready to die. I wasn’t done living. I wanted to know the results of the tests, and yet I didn’t want to know. Mostly I wanted everything to be okay. But each of these has to be faced one step at a time. 
5. Choose to be different. Nothing I’ve faced in life has changed me as much as cancer has. I appreciate the simple things in life more. I listen more. I care more about others. I let facing cancer change me and make me a better person.
6. Choose to give life to others. I think about how to use my cancer experience to make a difference like Rhio O’ Conner did. He chose to take charge not only of his cancer, but also of his legacy. In his death, he chose to give life to others, to inspire them. I want to do that too, to use my education, not just from school but from surviving cancer, to inspire others too.