Can it be a good thing to learn that you are terminally ill and will soon die? Find some affected people on Quora: yes. And tell their story.
How does it feel when you learn from your doctors that you are terminally ill and will soon die? And how do you deal with it? Some users on the Quora page have dealt with these questions. An anonymous thread creator reports on how he dealt with his own diagnosis and how he manages to live his life as best he can.
The man says that he discovered his tumor himself and then simply ignored it for a year. He had convinced himself that the palpable knot was certainly not a bad thing. But that was precisely why the final diagnosis that he had incurable cancer was no longer a major shock for him. And: He made peace with his illness.
Funnily enough, I don't worry too much about myself. I have traveled almost all over the world and have seen people living in much worse circumstances. I've had a very good life and good luck so far.
The thread creator is in his thirties and sure that he will still reach his forties. And in a way he is grateful for his diagnosis: "The fact that I can maybe live another five or ten years gives me the opportunity to do a lot of cool things and enjoy life – what I really do! At least I spend more now Spending time with my family than in the past, doing a lot with my partner, traveling a lot, and even having more fun than before. And I'm deleting a few things from my bucket list. "
The story of the anonymous man has been commented on many times by other sufferers – and some others actually find something good in their diagnosis. We have compiled some extracts from the user comments:
Ric Steel: "I have fatal brain and bone cancer and the first thing I felt sorry for was myself. But either you accept the situation or you drown in despair. You don't have to like the diagnosis, but as soon as you accept it, you also realize that you can't is the indestructible force that you thought you were. It feels a little bit like the weight of the world is being removed from your shoulders. It is strange but knowing from the beginning that my illness was incurable took the stress out of the whole situation. "
Trude Anabell Emmanuelsen: "Usually it is not the diagnosis itself that makes us happy. But that one at all getting a diagnosis makes you happy. It's about finding a long painful way to find what you've been looking for. Just to have confirmation that what you're going through is real. That you are seen and heard. That you get the help and support you need. (…) So yes, being happy is perfectly normal. (…) It's like looking for a lost parent: you know you may get bad news. But this message also relieves you because it tells you who you are. And we all want to know who we are. "
Carol Flemming: "I am a stage IV cancer patient, which means that my cancer is treatable, but not curable or operable. When I got the diagnosis, I initially felt like a deer blinded by the headlights. When the shock subsided, it became a matter of attitude, and keeping a positive attitude helps fight and deal with an incurable, deadly disease.
Of course, it also helps to find out more. Do not be hesitant: your medical team, including your oncologist, is YOUR medical team. Share your thoughts and ideas about possible treatments and your plans. Don't see your illness as a death sentence. One thing that is definitely true about life is that at some point we all die, but we don't know when, where or how. Until then, we should live our lives as best we can and enjoy them every day. "
Dina Evan: "(…) I have such a diagnosis and I can live with it. I believe that you come here – to this school called Earth – to find out who you are, what you have to do and if you believe that you’ve done that, just live happily. So fly when you’re ready – love is the only thing you can do. "