Learning You Have Cancer: Hope

Once people accept that they have cancer, they often feel a sense of hope. There are many reasons to feel hopeful.

• Cancer treatment can be successful. Millions of people who have had cancer are alive today.
• People with cancer can lead active lives, even during treatment.
• Your chances of living with--and living beyond--cancer are better now than they have ever been before. People often live for many years after their cancer treatment is over.

Some doctors think that hope may help your body deal with cancer. Scientists are looking at the question of whether a hopeful outlook and positive attitude helps people feel better. Here are some ways you can build your sense of hope:

• Write down your hopeful feelings and talk about them with others.
• Plan your days as you have always done.
• Don't limit the things you like to do just because you have cancer.
• Look for reasons to hope.

However long the night, the dawn will break. --Hausa (African) Proverb

You may find hope in nature, or your religious or spiritual beliefs. Or you may find hope in stories (such as the ones in this book) about people with cancer who are leading active lives.