Our mind is made up…Don’t give me the facts!

Let’s face it, we have all been envious of that friend of ours who can eat anything they want; cake, cookies, donuts…and that all American favorite…French Fries with out leaving a trace of those fatty foods on their hips! Some of us just look at those delicious and temping foods and the ponds goes directly to our hips. Oh, and did I mention ‘that friend’ who gets to eat all those foods (while keeping a slim and trim body), does not exercise, too! We are all left to wonder…’how does that person do it?’ The only explanation is…everyone’s body is different, everyone’s metabolism is different; our bodies react differently… that is the uniqueness of our individuality.

The same holds true for those who have to undergo cancer treatments; each individual reacts differently to radiation and chemotherapy. As we prepared for the start of the cancer treatments last week, ‘The Little One’ and I read as much as we could to try to get an understanding of what lies ahead. Yet in reading all the medical jargon, one thing became clear……the uncertainty of it all.

The first week of chemotherapy and radiation is complete, there have been some good days this week and there have been some bad days. We really did not know how ‘The Little One’ was going to react to the treatments until he experienced the treatments. As we move into week two, we learn from our experience from week one and forge ahead. We know a little more than we did last week, we are bound to learn more as we move ahead.

Statistics can be rude and misleading, even when they are factual because statistics do not take the individual into account, statistics only take the disease into account. If we were to pay attention only to the statistics, why even bother taking the treatments? Did you know that 100% of people who are born, die? Does that statistic keep us from living our life to the fullest? While statistics can be informative, they can paint a bleak picture; who needs that type of ‘encouragement?”

Mindful of being realistic, we have to foster hope, love and encouragement because one really does not know what lies ahead for anyone of us. Our best laid plans can be put to rest in at moments notice; there is to much of life to live to let a statistic get in the way. While informative, statistics do not provide hope or despair. It is only through the love and compassion of our family and friends that we gain the strength and courage to deal with the lemons life can hand to us. Our minds are made up…don’t give us the facts…just give us the love…the hope…and the encouragement that statistics cannot provide in order to beat this cancer!

The next time you see that friend of yours enjoying that French Fry, Donut or the rest of the mix…remember our bodies react to things differently, it might even be good to indulge in one of those tasty treats yourself!

Thanks for reading…”The Little One’ and ‘The Bow-Tie Guy’ wish you have happy Labor Day!