Looking around ourselves, one can observe the massive strides mankind has made in technological advances which have in turn increased the quality of life.  Homo sapiens have surely come a long way from the days of our ancestral Neanderthals seemingly able to overcome any obstacle we encounter.  We are now capable of communicating with anyone at any point in the world with just a touch of a button.  We are now capable of obtaining various types of information at the tip of fingers.  We have developed ways to defy the laws of gravity to not only travel across the world, but to escape the Earth’s atmosphere entering outer space.  However, amidst all the major accomplishments and achievements that have occurred throughout human history, there is one ongoing obstacle of which we still have not been able to overcome – that obstacle is the elusive and deadly threat of malignant neoplasm, more commonly known as cancer.  Cancer is a deadly foe that knows no boundaries and has no limits.  Millions of people each year fall to the venom of cancer making it one of the leading causes of death.  Knowing this, the question we must ask ourselves is: Is cancer an unstoppable force?  President Richard Nixon seemed to think not declaring what we now know as the “War on Cancer.”  This informal declaration occurred through the National Cancer Act…of 1971.  Over 30 years have gone by and still a nation known for smart phones and advanced space program have not been able to procure a solution to the enigma that is cancer.  Is there no hope?

One man named James “Rhio” O’Connor showed the world that all hope is not lost.  In late 2001, Rhio was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a deadly form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.  Prognosis of patients with mesothelioma is bleak with life expectancies of perhaps a few months to a few years pending the time of detection.  At the time of his diagnosis, Rhio was informed that he would have less than a year to live.  The available treatments at the time were either not possible or would have had no significant impact.  Rhio went on to defy all odds and exceed all expectations by living more than six years beyond his prognosis, which was achieved through drastic lifestyle changes and unorthodox forms of treatment.  This inspiring example set by Rhio shows the world that there is hope in the War on Cancer.

Since our acknowledgment of the existence of the deadly disease, incidence and death rates caused by cancer have continued to rise.  There is not one single factor that is a result of footprints left by cancer’s deadly pathway.  Rather, we should view the problem of cancer in the form of two major groups: common people and the media.  Together these two entities are the result of why efforts against cancer seem minimal.

The common people, people like you and me, have adopted dangerous lifestyles that promote the onset of cancer.  These lifestyles have largely resulted because of the aforementioned technological advances, which ironically have increased our quality of life.  Such advances have inadvertently created societal norms of which we have adopted into our daily lives.  Society has increasingly relied more and more on the advances of technology.  This increased reliance has encouraged more sedentary lifestyles where we see people less motivated to exercise and more encouraged to consume fatty diets.  Such lifestyles are obviously not healthy and have shown to promote the onset of cancer.

Not only are unhealthy lifestyles a major problem in the onset of cancer, but the misrepresentations by media has promoted ignorance amongst the people.  The point of the media is to inform the masses of the truth.  However, nowadays it seems like the main purpose of the media is to promote the most exciting story possible, rather than the truth of the story.  By doing this, the media tends to skew the truth or point its audience in the wrong direction.  The media does this through its misleading headlines, lack of information, and use of statistical values.  Misleading headlines are typically accompanied by the use of statistical values.  Common people do not necessarily have a strong grasp on quantitative literacy, the ability to interpret numbers in daily lives.  Using this to their advantage, we can often find the media misusing statistical values.  Thus, this promotes ignorance essentially blinding the people to potential products or activities that are unhealthy and can potentially lead to cancer.

Knowing the problems that are associated with the progress against cancer, actions must be taken to eradicate such problems if we are to ever to make an impact against this deadly disease.  First and foremost, there must be a grand promotion of education for the people.  People must be aware of the potential causes and lifestyles that result in cancer.  This can be done through widespread media promotion via the internet, television, newspapers, pamphlets, etc.  Simply making the information available is not enough.  We must present the people with the information, because odds are that most people are not like Rhio who will take the initiative to educate oneself about cancer.  Furthermore, this spread to the masses via the media must be done using accurate representations and accurate statistical values that reflect the truth.

In summation, the exemplary feat set by James O’Connor has provided inspiration and hope not only for people who must face the burden of cancer, but people who are faced with life changing obstacles.  Rhio’s story truly shows the power of the mind over the body.  Rhio’s defiance of mesothelioma in a sense reflects the ideals of certain philosophers who propose that reality is what we make of it i.e. reality is what we believe in.  Rather than believing the prognosis set by the doctor, Rhio chose to believe in himself and embody hope.  In our quest against the War on Cancer, we too must embody hope as well as acknowledge our shortcomings.  As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”