Christopher Hitchens on the Topic of Cancer

The notorious stage theory of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, whereby one progresses from denial to rage through bargaining to depression and the eventual bliss of “acceptance,” hasn’t so far had much application in my case. In one way, I suppose, I have been “in denial” for some time, knowingly burning the candle at both ends and finding that it often gives a lovely light. But for precisely that reason, I can’t see myself smiting my brow with shock or hear myself whining about how it’s all so unfair: I have been taunting the Reaper into taking a free scythe in my direction and have now succumbed to something so predictable and banal that it bores even me. Rage would be beside the point for the same reason.

To me, this is the best bit from the article. Having gone so far down the road back to health when all the world tried to tell me it could not be done, it is very clear to me that one's thinking, and the actions that grow out of that, is critical to the ability to resolve the problem. I wish him well and I hope the above bodes well for his ability to think clearly and therefore see clearly whatever the necessary steps are for him to make the journey back to the land of the living.

If you notice progressive changes in your body that last more than a week or two, don't ignore them. This goes double if you're over 40 and triple if you're over 60.

(My dad, who is in his eighties, was diagnosed with colon cancer three weeks ago. What's really annoying is that it turned out afterwards that the troublesome symptoms -- altered bowel habits -- had been troubling him for 3-6 months before he mentioned them to anyone. Remember: the later it's caught, the harder it is to do anything about it!)