The day I beat cancer

There are many things that go through your mind when you are diagnosed with cancer, apart from the obvious ‘am I going to die?’, things like am I going to see my next birthday? Will I be able to have any children? These things though, go out the window really, as the biggest battle of them all was fighting through each day and getting the strength to smile, because behind that smile was somebody hurting.

October though, is the most memorable month for me for two different reasons and they are separated by 5 years. People forget that when you are diagnosed with cancer, there is a period or timespan you have to fight through before you officially beat cancer. Some people are given different life expectancy depending on the form of cancer they have and what stage they are at. Sitting down with my Oncologist at the state of October 2009 was the most humbling experience of my life as he answered all my fears and informed me of the repercussions. Not all cancer is beatable but I had this mindset where I knew I was the most competitive person ever and had to win at all costs, my reward for winning was staying alive but I also knew if I didn’t win, I would die.

Being wired up-to a machine, watching chemotherapy pump into my veins was a tough moment, that was when it hit home, realising the extent of my illness. It is hard to explain that moment but will say I remember it every day and I use it as a incentive when feeling low and exhausted.

Obviously there are repercussions from having any sort of treatment. My body reacted to it all badly and after a few days my immune system shut down and I was hospitalised. Having a hospital Chaplin visit you and give you your ‘last rights’ is 100% a thought that will never leave me, but for a strange reason, it flicked a switch in my brain and I fought back.

Whilst in recovery from cancer, you have regular scans and check ups just to make sure your body is reacting well and healing from the treatment, but also to make sure there are no cancerous cells around. Those scans are something I will 100% for sure not miss, as they are very unpleasant.

But there is one scan that I love with all my heart and that was on October 14th 2009 where I had one final scan and was informed I was Medically Discharged, which meant I’d beaten CANCER! That joy went from the biggest grin on my face to floods of tears, as I knew the effect my battle on people around me. Cancer affects us all, whether its socially, emotionally or personally. It wasn’t just my battle, it was everyone’s battle ranging from the receptionist, the nurses, to my Oncologist, family and friends. That moment was for them.

So please, keep checking for any discomfort in your body, if in doubt, get it checked out and prevent something more severe happening.

Stay Safe, Mr Dash.