Cancer and Other Terminal Illnesses

Cancer and other terminal illnesses can have devastating effects not just on bodies but also on minds. Survivors cope using different mental and emotional tools. Some become bogged down by self-pity and resentment. Some do little to change their lives once their cancer goes into remission. Others might turn to drugs or alcohol or become depressed. Betty Rollin avoids negative pitfalls of coping with disease. The author describes illness as an opportunity for growth. In "The Best Years of My Life," Betty Rollin describes getting breast cancer as a blessing in disguise. She used her illness as a catalyst for personal and spiritual transformation. All the negative aspects of her diagnosis are turned into positive elements. Rollin changed her career, developed creative pursuits, and most importantly, altered her outlook on and attitude toward life. Rollin's "The Best Years of My Life" inspires readers to live life to the fullest, whether or not they have cancer.

Rollin opens by celebrating her "cancer anniversary," the five-year-mark after her diagnosis. According to Rollin, patients who survive cancer-free for five years have an 80% chance of surviving a normal life span. A cancer anniversary seems gruesome. However, to Rollin the anniversary is as significant as her birthday. Because Rollin is still alive and cancer-free, she is filled with gratitude that she might not normally feel. She notes that while her friends whine about turning 40, she rejoices at staving off death. Instead of bemoaning the fifth year anniversary of a terminal illness as many people might, Rollin celebrates it as the beginning of her new life.

Cancer is not fun, Rollin admits. She admits the fear that gripped her when she was first diagnosed. Rollin describes cancer as the "worst thing that has ever happened to me." Rollin mentions the ravages of chemotherapy, which she did not need but understands how devastating the effects can be. To remove the tumor in her breast, Rollin was forced to have the breast removed. The flat spot on her chest is a "small price" to pay for the blessing of her life.

Being afraid of a recurrence of the cancer is also a blessing, according to Rollin. The fear of death and fear of illness forces her to contemplate her mortality. A lingering fear of death prompts Rollin to seize every opportunity to live well, and live fully. She has put life's trivial stressors into perspective. After having cancer, her bosses don't get to her, and nothing can really make her upset. Not even other illnesses are daunting, because nothing could be as frightful as the cancer. Rollin even points out how relieved she is when she is diagnosed with something small like the flu. Her hypochondria has made Rollin appreciate her good health on a daily basis. Rollin notes that not all doctors understand her hypochondria. Some belittle her fear, whereas others reassure her that the ailment is not cancer.

One of the ways cancer has changed Rollin's outlook on life is how she is "less worried about what people think of me, both professionally and socially." Her self-consciousness is gone because to worry about what other people think is so trivial compared with the reality of mortality. Rollins also claims, "I am less concerned about where my career is going." Her career is only a small part of who Rollins is. In fact, Rollins notes that if it were not for getting cancer she never would have had the courage to take a sabbatical to write a book. Cancer gave Rollins the courage to pursue creative pursuits and take great risks in life. Rollins also takes risks by spending money. She admits that she used to be cheap before she got sick and now, five years later, she has become willing to fly first class and splurge on things she never would have otherwise. Ironically, having cancer has made Rollins less fearful in general.

Rollins describes her experience with cancer as a paradox. "Although cancer was the worst thing that ever hap-pened to me, it was also the best…Another paradox: although I would do everything possible to avoid getting cancer again, I am glad I had it." The author's message is inspiring not just for survivors but also for everyone. A psychiatrist Rollins saw confirms her positive mental state as being a genuine one: "the damage to my body had, indeed, done wonders for my head."