Cancer Combat

Cancer Combat

Are you really ‘battling’ with cancer? This is the question which lead to an investigation by Andrew Graystone. He discussed his findings and interviews in a BBC podcast entitled ‘The Rhetoric of Cancer’. This was about the language used in dealing with cancer. Metaphors such as ‘battle’, ‘brave’, ‘losing the fight’ and other words and phrases were what they (the reporter and him) discussed and reflected upon.

As I was listening to the audio file, I was in awe of how media can cause a lot of distortions in referring to the actual happenings of cancer patients. It was said in one of his interviews that because of advertisements and the language used to describe cancer,  the one who has it thinks of it as an enemy.

Truly, it was a great listening experience for me as my view of cancer changed drastically. I always thought of cancer as a bad thing but Grayston (who is dealing with cancer) helped me realized how life-long struggles benefit those who have them. He also made me realize that we, as people, should live alongside every struggle that faces us, whether it be cancer or sickness or any problem.

However, what struck me the most was the Christian theologian at the end of the podcast. This interview made me jump off my seat and listen carefully. She was talking about angels and demons and how Revelations always emphasize the word battle in relation to these supernatural beings. She goes on to say that grief and death are parts of the journey of every human being. Having cancer was and is a dreadful experience but patients must learn to live with it and embrace it as their sister or brother, for these are parts of their journey. I definitely agree with that for I believe that every struggle or problem we face is either a result of  consequence or a trial of our previous actions.