Love Quotes and Sayings

Four years ago, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a deadly form of bone cancer that attacks the very marrow of the bone. When she discovered she had cancer, it was already in the third stage; the cancer had spread to the entire skeletal system, right from the skull to the bones in her legs. Recovery would be almost impossible.
The doctor gave her 3 months at the most. And prescribed a very strong course of treatment comprising of chemotherapy, bone injections and several operations to remove the cancerous growth. Even before the treatment started, she broke bones in both her legs as the cancer had spread rapidly. It looked as though she would be a cripple all her life, confined to a wheel chair.
All of us were extremely depressed at the news. Here was a cheerful person, condemned to a life in bed. Life was not fair! And we shuddered to think how she would go through this phase knowing fully well she may never recover.
After we all finished grieving, sobbing and making ourselves miserable, she called us over and said ?€˜I have something to tell you?€™. ?€˜I know that my time is short, but I have always believed that everything happens for a reason. I believe this is just another experience that I must go through to truly understand the beauty of life?€™. ?€˜I don?€™t worry about tomorrow as no one of us knows what will really happen to any of us. Why do you grieve? I have not lost any sleep over this and I don?€™t wish you to, either. I know that we need each ounce of strength to combat this together. Don?€™t stop living. Don?€™t stop going to work. Continue with your daily lives. Lets all enjoy this as another gift from God!?€™
We were taken aback. Here we were, already mourning over a person who was still alive and she, who was in deep suffering, was guiding us and helping us smile.
That was the turning point. Each day we made it a point to watch a funny show, a good movie, come back from work and laugh over the day?€™s events. We celebrated birthdays (one was right on the day of her operation!), occasions, anniversaries?€?and learnt to rejoice in what each day had to offer us.
During this entire time, she underwent 3 operations, 6 chemotherapy cycles, 14 bone injections. She lost appetite, lost her lovely dark curly hair, suffered such terrible pain that we were speechless. But not once did she complain. In fact if we looked at her with troubled eyes, she used to say ?€˜I live the life of a queen. I am waited on hand and foot and have all of you at my command?€™.
We kept a full time nurse, called in relatives to help and juggled our work lives with the caring required for a cancer patient. There were terrible times when we would wait with dread for the night to pass, not knowing if she would last another day. All through this, laughter, prayers and her willpower kept us all going. And then the miracles began to happen.
Eight months into treatment, she went into remission. She started responding to the treatment. We called in a physiotherapist to exercise her legs which had not been in use and which were supported by not bones, but steel rods. And then one day?€?she stood. Took a few tentative steps.
And did we celebrate! Slowly she regained control over her wasted muscles, and started walking. And do you know the first person she went to meet?! The same doctor who had said she would not last more than three months. Went to thank him for making her realize how beautiful life is and how his words had helped her put things into perspective. Made her realize what mattered the most. And most of all provided an opportunity for her to really LIVE life to the fullest, savoring each day as a gift from God. A gift meant to be treasured and rejoiced in.

Today it has been 4 years and she has survived cancer. She did relapse a year back but went back on treatment and using the confidence gained from the first experience, battled it again to emerge successful. She is held as an example by the doctors as the most cheerful and smiling patient they have treated so far. She is often asked to counsel other cancer patients and share her experiences with them.

And when she is asked what is the secret behind her survival? She smiles and says?€?Willpower, Faith and Love for Life.

Most of us don?€™t really love life, we just live it. When we are faced with a situation that is life threatening, we break down and despair. We give up. But that?€™s when our choices are the clearest?€?either we accept defeat and bow down or choose to embrace reality?€?and really learn to LIVE. Since it didn?€™t make sense to despair, it was clear to her to accept the reality and make the best of it. Each moment of pain, she valued as a lesson from life, a lesson that whatever we have?€?is just today. She chose to look upon the news of terminal illness as having been given that precious gift of knowing when she would die. And she decided to make the most of the time given to her. To really live and enjoy each moment, something that she had forgotten to do. Enjoy each moment, each day, celebrate all the joyous moments and live normally. Through pain we find joy, joy in momentary relief from pain, joy in seeing the faces of our loved ones, simple joys of enjoying a good book or a movie. Joy of seeing the clear blue sky and smelling the fresh green grass. And the power to experience this joy lies within us, only if we choose to experience it. And that choice is nothing but Willpower. Will power that alters lives, that guides us through dark days when nothing goes right. Faith that makes us hope and wait for a better day. Faith that makes us believe that miracles can happen.

Let us discover the miracles we are capable of, the miracles that can happen if we have faith, willpower and a love for life!

Guest Blogger : Savi

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