Rhio O’Connor Memorial Scholarship Essay

Cancer is a word that nobody wants to hear or say. It’s a small but strong six letter word that brings pain and heartache- fear and mystery. Two members in my family were diagnosed with cancer, one with breast cancer and the other lung cancer. Although it was devastating news, as well as Rhio O’Connor, they fought their battles and overcame their prognosis’.
When Rhio O’Connor was diagnosed with mesothelioma and only given a year to live, he did not plan on surrendering. He fought long and hard and conducted his own path of health, resulting in him outliving his cancer by six years. Rhio’s story is beyond inspirational to me. Most people feel helpless and numb when they are told that they have cancer. They lose all sense of faith and just give up. I dare not say that cancer is a gift, but in a way it is a realization and a test of how much you really know yourself. Those who proceed to quit and allow cancer to take over are pathetic. Cancer is not an excuse to stop your life; it’s a bridge to live each day to the fullest. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Rhio went above and beyond to research his prognosis and to develop his own therapeutic protocol based off of his findings. Rhio is a hero- not only to himself, but to me. He was brave and took a chance by following what he believed was going to help him. He took a stand for himself and did not let his cancer take over. He fought a battle that most people surrender in. An incurable cancer is hard to deal with, but Rhio overcame that terror and outlived it, which is phenomenal.
If I were given a dire cancer prognosis I would be horrified. Aside from being upset, I would not let that consume the rest of my life. As Reinhold Niebuhr says, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Instead of sitting and selfishly wondering why I was given cancer, I would get up and help myself to live the healthiest and happiest life possible. I would expand my knowledge of the type of cancer I had been diagnosed with so that I could get a better understanding of what it is that is wrong with my body. Cancer is not an easy process, and comprehending it is not simple either. Because it is my life that has been shortened due to a sickness, I feel that it is not selfish to say I’d compose a list of things that I want to do. Of course I’d keep my head up and always look up and be thankful for all that I have and have had. My parents blessed me with the best life possible- and for that I feel like the luckiest young woman alive. There is nothing that they would not do for me. My younger sister who is also my best friend would take a bullet for me. So in order to give back to them, I would fight for my life to prove that is it worth fighting for.
O’Connor was a heroic man. As cliché as this may sound, if I ever became ill of cancer, I would follow the exact steps he took in order to face his cancer. A combination of faith and knowledge helped Rhio gained the strength he needed in order to overcome his illness, which clearly he did. This story will follow me wherever I go and his story has truly touched my heart. If only everyone with cancer could be as brave as Rhio; more people could outlive their prognoses. “The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart.” –Helen Keller

To learn more about cancer visit http://www.survivingmesothelioma.com/