The Topic Of Cancer By Christopher Hitchens

I chose to write an essay about the “Topic of Cancer” by Christopher Hitchens. In this short autobiographical essay, Hitchens discusses his experience with Esophageal cancer. Just one day after lanching his book “Hitch-22” Hitchens was made aware of his illness, where he later describes the news as “taking me from the country of well, to the stark frontier.” It was then he chose to write about his experience for the purpose of documenting the changes that he, and his body were about to go through with chemotherapy, and also for the purpose of contemplating his current situation. The reason that I chose this story is because of my own personal experiences that I have had with many loved ones in my life. There is one case in particular that stands out in my memory, among the rest. It was when my friend of many years discovered that he had a very rare form of brain cancer. Soon after undergoing chemotherapy, he lost his battle. There are many people that believe chemotherapy at any stage is the best, and often times, the only way to cure cancer, yet others claim that chemotherapy is not the answer at all. A close analysis of recent statistics can settle this debate.

For some reason I feel that if someone tells you they have cancer there is just that understanding and no explanation is needed. Since I love to explain so much, let me try to make this clear: If someone has a sickness that is going to be with them until the day they die, whether it is that sickness that is the cause of their death or something else, it remains a burden every day. Some days are better than others but it is still there insinuating itself in our bodies and waiting to strike again. Oh and usually it strikes with a vengeance if we mere sickly mortals think we have overcome it even for one single sunny

When Henrietta finds out that she had cervical cancer, she did not tell anyone and continue to live her life, as usual, taking care of her husband and the children. Rebecca Skloot states that Henrietta told, “Day and the children not to worry,” ‘Aint’ nothing serious wrong, “Doctor’s gonna fix me right up” (Skloot 31). In the article “Keeping Cancer a Secret,” author Dr. Mikkael Sekeres ask his patient “how are they [children] dealing with your diagnosis” (1). The patient response what that the reason he chose to not tell his children was that his son was away on duty in Afghanistan and felt that it would not be fair for her daughter to know the truth and not his son.(Sekeres 2) Dr. Sekeres states, “I was surprised. My patient had been dealing with this serious medical condition for a couple of years, and he was so pragmatic in how he managed all aspects of his life” (2). Even the doctor finds it amazing that he had been hiding his secret for a long time and that his children were unaware what their father was going through, but that was his choice and it should be respected. Different reasons motivate a person to keep their illness way from their loved ones. It also depends on patients’ attitudes if they are private with their life, in general, it will be harder for the patients to talk with others about their

Being diagnosed with cancer can be very scared because the person that is been diagnosed is not prepared to receive the tremendous news. When Henrietta find out that she had cervical cancer, she did not tell anyone and went on with her day as if nothing had happened. Rebecca Skloot states that Henrietta told “Day and the children not to worry,” “A int’ nothing serious wrong, she said““Doctor’s gonna fix me right up” (Skloot 31). In the article “Keeping Cancer a Secret” author Dr. Mikkael Sekeres ask his patient “how are they [children] dealing with your diagnosis” (1). The reason he chose to not tell was that this son was away in duty on

“’So what’s your story?’” she then then replies “’I already told you my story. I was diagnosed when-‘” He interrupts and says “’No, not your cancer story. Your story. Interests, hobbies, passions, etcetera… Don’t tell me you’re one of those people who becomes their disease. I know so many people like that. It’s disheartening. Like cancer is in the growth business, right? The taking-people-over business. But surely you haven’t let it succeed prematurely’” (Green, 32).

Terry Williams, on the other hand, instead of focusing on the numbers of the cancer, she focuses on the descriptions of cancer through her all five senses in seeing her mother’s struggle with cancer. She let us feels, the grim hand of cancer that wraps around her mother’s life. To her, cancer has become a “disease of shame” which encourages people to hide and lies (Williams 93). But, it’s also more than just a disease caused by random mutation, but it was also the rope at which her mother’s life hang on. Perhaps it’s not that she didn’t focus on the statistics and the numbers about cancer, but perhaps it was because the thought of her mother’s suffering alone had her mind occupied. Terry Williams’s poetical tone in explaining about her mother’s fighting with cancer allowed us to understand the effects that cancer had caused to the victim. Cancer, as she believes, doesn’t only affecting her mother’s life but it also affects herself, for “perhaps the umbilical cord between Mother and [her] has never been cut”

When I found out that my mother had cancer, I was in shock and did not know how to take everything in. She decided that her being diagnosed with cancer will be the best thing that ever happened to her, not the worst. At 37 years old my mother was diagnosed with stage I breast cancer. She discovered the cancer at a very early stage, which was very lucky and satisfying to hear. The way my mother discovered she had, it was an insane experience for the both of us. She started having pain in November of 2016 in her left armpit; she did not think of it as such a vast deal so she just ignored it. Nevertheless the pain got worse over time and eventually she went to see a doctor.

Being diagnosed with a terminal disease will shock any person, but when you have to tell a child, it really changes your perspective. Little kids bounce back from a lot of things, but it is their support system that gets them there.

I cannot describe what I felt when my mom told me she had cancer. I was sad, I was scared; I did not even know if I felt anything. My mom, however, stayed positive and hopeful while I stayed quiet and seemingly apathetic. There was an obvious ironic contrast between the emotional state of me and the woman who actually had cancer.

When Christopher Hitchens writes about waking up to discover him in the "land of malady", there is an echo of one of his very few rivals as a modern essayist, Susan Sontag. "Everyone who is born holds dual citizenship, in the kingdom of the well and in the kingdom of the sick," Sontag wrote in Illness as Metaphor. "Although we all prefer to use only the good passport, sooner or later each of us is obliged, at least for a spell, to identify ourselves as citizens of that other place."

Cancer is a serious and ever growing disease throughout the United States and across the globe. According to data from the National Cancer Institute (2016), about 39.6% of men and women will receive a cancer diagnosis within their lifetime. Due to advancements in screening and treatment, more people are now living with cancer longer than ever before. In 2014, there were close to 14.5 million people living with a cancer diagnosis and this number is going to rise nearly 5 million over the following 10 years (NCI, 2016). The 5-year survival rate for all cancers is also quite high at 68%. Despite the hopeful fact that survival rates are increasing, the incidence rate is also growing, meaning more people are being diagnosed with cancer (Von Roenn et al., 2013).

Facing cancer isn't something that can be described with words or understood by others who have not personally dealt with it; however, much wisdom has been garnered over time and that information should help you prepare for what you are now dealing with. Though most don't know exactly how you're feeling, they want to understand and to help.

There were three experiences that shaped my response to my topic, two of which I have described in detail in my planning document. As for the third experience, it occurred quite recently, hence why I haven’t addressed it, since I still need time to organize my thoughts on what had transpired. As I am no expert, I researched prior to writing my poem by reading through survivor stories and combining it into one, with my personal exposure with cancer to aid it. Overall, I would say that despite the fact that I knew very little, however through writing this poem I have learned considerably more.

Cancer which attacks intimate parts of the body can heighten the fear of how people will react; for example, some ethnic minority groups regard breast cancer as taboo. Fundraising campaigns and cancer charities have grown in popularity and have helped to combat the stigma and fear surrounding cancer and have made people less afraid to be open about the harsh realities of dealing with this disease. Ms. Graves says that “There’s no right or wrong way to deal with a cancer diagnosis. Each person needs to find their own way of coping. For some it will be sharing it with everyone and for others it will be about keeping up appearances” (Gander 2). “My interest is in trying to reflect the reality of experience-- how we feel when we talk to each other, how we feel when we are engaging with questions that interest us” (Cothern). Patients have also harnessed social media as a way to draw attention to the disease. The definition of sharing can also vary from person to person. Those diagnosed with potentially terminal illnesses such as cancer may feel more comfortable about discussing their conditions (Gander). Gander says “We need to include death in the conversation about life and living, so it is not about life and living and death and dying- but

Now I am not your average ordinary person but you may think I am. I have dreams. Average right. You dream of these things all of your life but when they actually do happen or you get an offer to do it. Will you take the offer and follow through. You are probably saying yes right now as you are reading this but that 's the thing that 's why I am not ordinary. I wouldn 't take the offer and follow through. You may be thinking why. Well after waiting all of those years and you finally get there it is pretty scary and you might not want to take the offer. Well that 's what happened to me. I was offered to live my life long dream out but I denied. Again you may be still thinking that I am average or ordinary and that everyone gets scared at one point or that it is a dream everyone dreams about. Well kind of. I wanted to find the cure for cancer. Which that would lead to fame. But again that 's the point I don 't want all the attention. So you may be thinking now that I am not as ordinary as you thought. So I was right.