Hope

Laurel quoted a speech she heard years ago, so I tracked it down to discover that Marvin Ashton quoted Erma Bombeck.  


This is a small portion: 

Erma Bombeck has written a book about young cancer patients. As she planned her book, she came to the conclusion that the voices that came from these young people were filled with humor and optimism which kept “these kids in the mainstream of life. Perhaps laughing and believing in themselves was a major part of their survival.” (Erma Bombeck, I Want to Grow Hair, I Want to Grow Up, I Want to Go to Boise, New York: Harper and Row, 1989, p. xxi.)

One sixteen-year-old boy said, “Man, without a sense of humor I wouldn’t have made it this far.” (Ibid., p. xviii.)

The author interviewed the youths with cancer and read many letters from them. She found one word constantly surfacing—attitude.

“They took personal pride in the fact that they were fighting something bigger than they were and stronger than they were—something that might even overpower them. But they still had something their enemies couldn’t take away—hope. It is a formidable weapon. … When all else fails, pull out the big artillery, HOPE, and hang on.” (Ibid., pp. 5–6.)


I had cancer myself over 9 years ago.  I agree attitude made all the difference.  When I started counseling, I didn't remember my past.  As we pealed away the protection I had by memory loss I became painfully aware that I suffered another type of cancer called ABUSE.  Abuse is cancer of the soul and far more damaging than cancer of the body.  My belief that the principle is the same.  Hope is the big artillery given to us by God.