> There are patients I see today who decided to fight, sought out any avenue they could and are alive and going on holidays with their kids today because of it.
20 or so years ago my uncle was given 6 mos. to live. I don't remember the exact type of cancer, but the survival rate was low. My grandfather, being an ex-military hard ass who had to fight and claw his entire life said to hell with that.
Long story short, my uncle today is married with 2 great kids. I don't know if there is much research around attitude and outcomes, but I can't imagine a fighting attitude is harmful.
Some people prefer to contemplate and accept. Some people prefer to fight hard until the end. Who are we to decide how people are supposed to live, or die?
Indeed—it's a personal decision that every patient and family have to make based on their individual situation. (Just as mine had to.)
That's why a categorical claim that there's no harm to having fighting attitude is patently wrong...not to mention harmful because it contributes to the stigmatization of accepting and preparing for impending death.
20 or so years ago my uncle was given 6 mos. to live. I don't remember the exact type of cancer, but the survival rate was low. My grandfather, being an ex-military hard ass who had to fight and claw his entire life said to hell with that.
Long story short, my uncle today is married with 2 great kids. I don't know if there is much research around attitude and outcomes, but I can't imagine a fighting attitude is harmful.