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Cancer Diagnosis:
An Unwelcome Opportunity

Pilar Poal, PhD
April 3, 2006

So there it is.. Cancer. The amazing power of one word, which has the ability to rattle the assumptions that you may have had about your life and makes you question many of the expectations that you have about the future. So what to do about this unwelcome intrusion that threatens to reorganize your entire life in a multitude of challenging ways? 

You will get all the necessary information about treatment options, survival rates, experimental protocols and available supports. It will probably be overwhelming at first and it might take a while to process, but you will be able to sort through it and determine a course of action that is best for you. But what about the feelings of vulnerability and despair? What about the anger and the anxiety about an unpredictable outcome? What about the fear of dying? 

Most people would agree that being diagnosed with cancer is a life-changing experience. While the negative ways in which life changes when touched by cancer are all too obvious, we sometimes hear about a cancer diagnosis changing people's outlook on life in a positive way.

What if this experience makes you more aware of who is really important in your life and which relationships you want to focus on nurturing?

What if this experience helps you realize that you have been spending too much of your time doing things that don't really matter that much?

What if this experience painfully points out to you that the only time you really have for sure is the present and that it may be worthwhile trying to really live every moment?

What if you realize that life is more unpredictable than you are comfortable with, but that it is possible to live with some uncertainty and still have a full life? 

So there it is. there may be a hidden learning opportunity for all in the very painful experience of cancer: to not take our loved ones for granted, to put our energy into the people and experiences that really matter, to cherish every moment as a gift and to be more accepting of the limited control that we sometimes have over our lives.

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Pilar Poal, PhD is a licensed psychologist and Senior Staff Therapist in CFR's Lionville office. She can be reached at 610-594-9808 x6.

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