Sometimes, Courage Exists in Doing "Normal Things"

"Dost thou love life? Then do not waste time, for that is what life is made of."
- Benjamin Franklin

The term "Cancer Clinic" has an ominous ring. The clinic waiting room becomes the staging area for chemotherapy, for transfusions, for cancer treatment decisions, and for learning the results of cancer testing. Momentous, life-altering, and terrifying experiences happen regularly in this place.

My travels around the hospital frequently take me through the waiting room of the Neoplastic Diseases and Related Disorders Clinic. What do I observe in this place where so many profound events occur? Well, I often spot patients reading the paper, working puzzles, talking, laughing, napping, paging through books, or listening to Dr. Phil. A volunteer might be playing her harp.

Sometimes, one of my own patients will stop me to ask a question or share a story. In short, the people in the waiting room are doing "normal things." They are not visibly different from "the rest of us," save for the occasional hat to cover the lost hair, long sleeves to cover IV lines, or an extra sweater to ward off the chill. They are each managing the stress in their own way.

For some patients, the response to stress evolves months or years later, almost unnoticed, and quietly. A healthy patient well beyond the time for cancer recurrence recently announced that his cancer had finally convinced him to retire early, spend time with family, travel, and experience life.

For others, the response is dramatic. A few years ago, a man whose voice box I had removed happily reported that the experience had finally sent him through alcohol rehabilitation. "It was the best thing that could have happened to me," he said. More recently, I received a note from the daughter of a man who had died from his cancer. The family had reconciled and surrounded him with love. "We finally got to know our dad, even if just for a few months." Strong stuff.

Cancer survivors usually insist that they are just like everybody else, but I am impressed that their stressful experiences often allow them to focus anew on life's priorities. The rest of us should take advantage of every opportunity to learn the same lesson.

Bruce H. Campbell, MD, FACS
Professor of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences
Chief, Division of Head and Neck Oncology
Interim Director, Froedtert & Medical College Cancer Center

"Reflections" is a collection of essays by the health professionals of the Medical College of Wisconsin.