Courage

“Courage is what preserves our liberty, safety, life, and our homes and parents, our country and children. Courage comprises all things.” — Plautus

This week’s discussion is courage and at times, this can be difficult for us all.  Especially when the price/prize is important to us, and we are emotionally attached to this.

A friend and I were discussing the prominent Joint Australian of the Year – Richard Scolyer and his work with cancer and his own journey with brain cancer.  She sent me a copy of a podcast that he spoke in, and his own journey has been amazing as he trials new procedures and immunotherapy.  Imagine being both the scientist and the patient!  In the podcast he mentioned that he chose life, both wanting to see his family for a longer period of time and to live life.  Ironically, I commenced this blog earlier in the week and that night on the way home, he was being interviewed by the radio station I was listening to!

My friend had commented that whilst she was listening, she had thought of me and my own journey with cancer.

I have noted both in my clinic and from my own experience that with any chronic or life-threatening illness, there is always a period of adjustment in which the person (and their loved ones) grieves the life that was.  This can take time and there is no magic number that it is, we all grieve differently.  We need to adjust to the diagnosis, the treatment and coming to terms with all of this is difficult due to new languages, tiredness and the shock.

For those of you who are the carers, this is also compounded, and carer-fatigue is a real condition that can occur, and at times quite quickly.  It often takes great courage to reach out and ask for assistance – both from family, friends or professionals.

For those who live in my community, the local private health fund has successfully fund raised to build accommodation for people who live outside our town, to enable them to stay close to the radiation bunker with their family whilst undergoing treatment.  I am certain, that once built, this will ease the burden for many people in our region.

Courage as defined in the quote above, is a much-needed commodity that is required in many aspects of our lives.  It is the drive we get, which aids us in our darkest moments and when our world is turned upside down.  It is an essential element that helps us move through the change process.