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Many doctors are afraid to encourage. The current ethos of telling it like it is seems to make it difficult to strike a balance. Afraid to build you up, in case they give you false hope, there are notable silences where encouraging words should be. Yet such hope kept us sane, and helped Nathan, and us, believe in tomorrow, and work toward it fervently. It gave him a reason to fight with determination; To Challenge; to live life without putting it on hold. The poem here, sums it all up very well I think. 11 year Glioblastoma survivor Rebecca Libutti displays this same kind of determination and hope. She challenges the words ' false hope' which many doctors hide behind, suggesting there is no such thing. There is Just hope. Thankyou Rebecca, your words and success helped reinforce our fight, and encouraged us so much. Good health to you! |
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Hope is hope, a feeling of trust, Against all odds, we do what we must. Hope is a confident expectation, Not a guarantee of a realisation. It thrives in the soul, beats in the heart, But Oh what strength it does impart. There is nothing false about this feeling, It has no limit, it has no ceiling. Hope inspires determination, To reach a dream with anticipation. No you cannot infuse it, You cannot draw it into a vial and use it. You cannot measure it by RADS, or take its pulse when you're tired or sad. But drink it is with great desire, it's medicinal power can raise you higher. Hope is truly free insurance, it indemnifies with utmost assurance. Hope rises above deep despair, It lifts the hearts of those who care. It is nto a panacea or cure for every ill, It is a source of optimism, a place to find your will. When stress and fear are set in motion, Hope proves true as a stronger emotion. No you dare not deny it, You must not defy it. Eternal they say it springs, Of promises it softly sings. It cannot be false, any more than false sorrow, It's basic belief is 'There's always tomorrow'. if hope is false, then surely I guess, There must be false hopelessness. What would it mean to have false hopelessness? Perhaps that indeed it was true hopefullness. So let's turn it around, or inside out, Because hope is something we can't live without. Rebecca Libutti , 'That's Unacceptable' ( 2001) Krystal Publishing. |
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In Susanne Segerstrom's study on the effects of positivity, it was found that the posive individuals had greater numbers of the killer immune response cells. She found too however, that for people who always think positively, where there is failure, their immune system response declined slightly. However, it was still concluded that hope had an over all positive influence psychologically and physically Optimism and the immune system Links to read about brain tumour survivors: Click on the links highlighted in blue print to link to the full accounts of survivors like Rebecca.. Jeannine Walston, Bart Byrne (9yr glioblastoma survivor), Cheryl clarke 3 encouraging accounts of people who base their life on hope, faith, and positivity. In fact, their attitudes typify our own in fighting this disease. Odds, statistics, hope - the meaning of these three powerfulwords change forever when you have a brain tumor. What do these words really mean though? An odd is a ratio predicting probability, a statistic is an interpretation of numerical data, and hope is a wish accompanied by a confident outcome. Jeannine Walston, Cheryl Clark and Bart Byrne heard these words again and again. They are long-term brain tumor survivors that share a common experience. Each was handed a grim statistic at the time of diagnosis; each chose to ignore the statistic. The odds, they were told, were not in their favor; each acknowledged the odds and got on with life. Hope was the word they each heard and chose to cherish. Jeannine, Cheryl and Bart have beaten the odds, defied statistics and offer hope. These are their stories.. .(taken from National Brain Tumour Foundation, Survivor stories) John Reay, 6 year survivor of Glioblastoma This Account was particularly usefulfor us as it is such a detailed account of John's treatment. It even shows his scan reports. When I participate in chat rooms, support groups and converse with other people today, it is in the role of someone who (so far) is beating the odds. Prognosis is based on statistics, which can predict outcomes for a group of patients. However, we are all individuals, and statistics are of little value when discussing individual cases. There are just too many variables that influence the survival prospects of any one of us. As I often say, "your mileage my differ". To all who are reading this, and who have been diagnosed, or are caring for someone with this terrible disease, I say never give up hope......John Reay Rebbacca Libbutti, 10 year survivor of Glioblastoma Rebeccas story had been absolutely inspiring for us. I purchased her book 'That's unnacceptable' and found that it absolutely oozed hope and determination. Her attitude is so similar to my own, when it comes to this disease. If you read only one survivor account on this page, read this one. it will give you hope and strength. Kurtis Roose, 6 year survivor of Ogliodentroglioma 26 year old Nurse diagnosed with a grade 3 brain Tumour Richard Pitman, 7 year survivor of mixed glioma ? glioblastoma 'Damn the Statistics! ' ....Richard Pittman |
