Sometimes Cancer is a (Welcome) Distraction

Jane Biehl is a 12-year survivor of a very rare form of blood cancer, known as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Catch up on all of Jane’s blogs here!

In today’s world, I sense a real despondency I have never seen before. Horrible divisions have split our country and the world, including family and friends. Countries are at odds with each other, and people are losing their jobs and benefits. Prices are soaring, and people are struggling to pay their bills.

Some of my friends and relatives are so distressed they cannot bear to watch the news. A few are experiencing nightmares, while others watch the news for hours and post everything on social media. It is easy to forget the good happenings like neighbors, friends, volunteers and agencies serving others hot meals, helping through storms and providing shelter.

I admit I am just as angry and worried as everyone else, and the rhetoric is personal for me. I worry that the research presently being done on cancer and other diseases may be stopped. The only reason I am still alive is because of the ongoing research.

I am dismayed at people with disabilities being deprived of services because I have worked with this population my entire life. I was a children’s librarian, and I know how important education is to our society.

I then think back to the origins of COVID-19 and how scared we all were. We felt alone and frightened, not knowing what the future would bring and if a vaccine would be perfected. Some of us were not able to visit family far away or see our loved ones in nursing homes.

However, we were kind to each other. We cheered and supported our medical personnel and our teachers. We helped as much as we could and watched over our neighbors.

Most of that went away after the pandemic was over. Why? Because the pandemic distracted us from our daily duties and we focused on the most important things in our lives, which were families and friends.

Let me fast forward to the present as I try once again not to panic, although some of these fears are justified. It has occurred to me that the reason I am not as devastated as some is I am a cancer survivor.

I witness the doctors, the nurses, the people who are keeping me alive and do care. I am distracted because I am fortunate to see the good that many people can do in the middle of this horrible disease. I have had to make life-changing decisions, such as having a bone marrow transplant. Being alive is a miracle in itself.

Amazingly, a terrible diagnosis like cancer has given me and others a different perspective than most. We know the world is in an awful place right now. However, we have survived this far, and life will continue.

Cancer is a distraction and not always a bad one. We do learn perspective. There are some good things we can take away in tragic events, whether it is a pandemic or experiencing cancer.

These tragedies force us to ignore other distractions and focus on the crucial events in our lives, which include our relationship with families, our battles with cancer and the medical personnel who help us. These negatives can become positive.

We have had rough lessons with this formidable disease, just like with COVID-19, but sometimes, it prepares us for life’s more significant lessons, and that is good.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to subscribe to CURE®’s newsletters here.