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Cancer patients have different approaches in fighting their disease

By Kerry Byrd | Truth or Consequences - The News Herald

Published: May 7, 2009

One of the most difficult parts of my job is to inform patients that they have cancer.
There is usually a period of silence that follows as thoughts are racing, trying to comprehend the news and anticipate the future.
Many of these patients will soon see a specialist to discuss treatment options and begin the "fight" against their cancer.
There are some, however, who take a different approach.
They accept the realities of their cancer diagnosis and decide to focus the rest of their lives on what they perceive as more important priorities.
Those who choose this path do so due to a variety of reasons, but they all have a dignified and peaceful resolve to "let it be."
Despite their resolve, these cancer patients sometimes feel pressured by family, friends, and some parts of the health care industry to engage in a battle they perceive as futile. Some of the saddest end of life stories I know involve this scenario. It seems that our culture emphasizes the courage of those who choose to fight but forgets the courage of those whose faith leads them instead to choose peace.
This is the subject of a commentary written in the Journal of the American Medical
Association (JAMA) by Dr. Thomas Edes, "Waging Peace in the War on Cancer," and recently referenced in a publication through Hospice.
He describes a cancer patient who "is dying of cancer, and living in peace. She is eagerly awaiting news about her grandchildren, not about her laboratory results. She is focused on the daily routines of her loved ones, not on a clinic schedule. She is planning for a child's birthday, not for a treatment regimen. She is living in joy of every day, not in fear of the next sign.
She is pursuing what she loves, not the enemy in her bones."
Edes later asks a profound question, "When personally waging the war on cancer, your time and energy are diverted to the war, and away from the things you love. What if you wish to devote your time and energy to something else, instead of fighting cancer? Is there any reason you should feel pressured, ashamed or bad about your decision?"
If one has been freed from the fear of disease and death, I think the answer to this question is a resounding, "No." But are there biblical principles which can help in making these difficult decisions?
One principle is that of a limited life expectancy. Scripture teaches and reality affirms that we have a 100 percent chance of dying and that the average life expectancy is 70 to 80 years. This is a truth that I often hear from those who choose peace over war.
They reason that if they were to "beat" their cancer, they would eventually die from something else. They start with the end in mind, and this enables them to interpret more realistically the relative "success" of various treatment options for their particular kind of cancer.
Another principle is in Matthew 6:33 where Jesus instructs us to "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness."
Those who defer medical treatment are not necessarily "giving up." They may be so intensely living out their purpose in advancing Christ's kingdom, that they see the time, energy and resources necessary to wage war on their cancer as a distraction. This especially holds true as they consider what their family may have to endure.
One more principle must be considered: "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth" (Colossians 3:2, KJV).
Most of my patients who choose no medical treatment have a longing for Heaven, a desire to be with the Lord. Their grips on this world are loose. They are homesick. Christ has freed them from fear of disease and death, and they have hope for eternity.
As I write this article, patients come to mind whom I see regularly who are in the midst of the battle to treat their cancer.
They are bravely enduring their treatments with dignity and courage, attesting to the grace of God.
I am also thinking of those who courageously chose to "let it be" and are living with peace and a confident hope in eternity through their faith in Jesus Christ. Either way, we in the medical field, families and friends support and honor their decisions.

Source: Edes, TE. "Waging Peace in the War on Cancer," JAMA; June 4, 2008; 299(21):2483.
"'Waging War' on Cancer or 'Waging Peace?'" Quality of Life Matters; Feb/Mar/Apr 2009; 10(4):3.

Kerry Byrd, MD, Valdese Family Practice, BCBC@directus.net