Surviving Lung Cancer | There is Always Hope
So often, there is a greater focus on the negative aspects that surround lung cancer – the low survival rate, the amount of deaths per year, the lack of funding – The list seems to never end.
However, despite these statistics, there is always hope. Even when things seem at their worst, there are always reasons not to give up, and always reasons to hope for the future.
In this post, we discussed the top 10 reasons for hope, when fighting lung cancer. They included the following:
- New early detection methods
- There is a growing knowledge about early detection and the use of CT scans
- Smoking rates are declining
- More awareness of other lung cancer causes
- An increase in lung cancer news
- It seems that more celebrities are starting to speak out about lung cancer
- There are many lung cancer support groups available
- You can get involved
- You’re not alone
- No matter what the numbers may say, people do survive this disease
In this week’s post, we want to pull a few key factors from this article about not only why there is reason to hope, but information on living with the disease and surviving lung cancer.
There are a few key points brought up when it comes to surviving lung cancer:
- Surviving is more than physical. It has a lot to do with emotional and mental challenges in dealing with the cancer. When you have a strong support system, it can help the emotional and mental challenges that come with lung cancer and the treatments.
- Some find the anger that cancer creates can be a motivating factor to help them fight the cancer. On the other hand, cancer can make people depressed, which could end up being more destructive to their health. It is important to work through your emotions, and talk to a professional if need-be. There is a fine line between anger as a motivator and anger as a deterrent.
- It is important to maintain a healthy diet and to remember to exercise. This promotes good health and can reduce risk of cancer spreading or returning. Exercise can also have emotional benefits, and often makes one feel better about themselves, which can also help when fighting the disease.
The statistics surrounding lung cancer can be disheartening at times, but it is important to remember that those numbers don’t define a person, or the battle that you or a loved one is facing. Throughout November, we chronicled the stories of 30 people who have all had their lives affected by lung cancer – Those many of the stories talked about loss, a good number featured stories of survival, including Sandra, who benefitted from early lung cancer detection, and Stu who is 50 year lung cancer survivor. One of the most important things to remember when dealing with lung cancer is to not focus on the numbers, but rather on your journey. People do survive this disease, and there is hope in every situation.
According to the American Cancer Society, the best defense against cancer is early detection. Because of this, we need to join together to raise more awareness about lung cancer. People should be aware of lung cancer symptoms, as well as the magnitude of the disease. More awareness could lead to more funding, and more money for lung cancer research—something that is desperately needed.
To learn more about Oncimmune’s EarlyCDT-Lung, the blood test to aid in the early detection of lung cancer, please visit www.HelloHaveYouHeard.com. The test is covered by Medicare Part B and all private insurance companies (Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Humana, Aetna, etc.). Since its commercial release in 2009, EarlyCDT-Lung has aided in the early detection of numerous cases of lung cancer. Since its release in 2009, EarlyCDT-Lung is currently being used by hundreds of doctors and thousands of patients across the United States.
