Bob Riter

I like to give myself a magic wand in the first column of each year to grant wishes to those affected by cancer.

Here’s my list for 2013:

I wish that bake sales, community barbeques and other events to raise money for individuals with cancer weren’t necessary.

I wish that cancer treatment and comfort care weren’t seen as being mutually exclusive. They should always co-exist.

I wish that every person with cancer was screened for depression and anxiety, and was then offered and accepted treatment for those conditions as appropriate.

I wish that everyone with cancer had a kind, steady and supportive companion.

I wish that people with cancer were immune to other diseases and misfortunes. We should only have to deal with one bad thing at a time.

I wish that people with cancer weren’t beaten over the head with the importance of positive thinking.

I wish that people didn’t feel awkward talking about rectal and anal cancers.

I wish that all journal articles emerging from medical research funded by the government were made available online, without charge, to the public.

I wish that no one was ever blamed for causing their own cancer.

I wish that the relatives, friends and neighbors of people newly diagnosed with cancer refrained from giving advice (except when requested).

I wish that kindness was consistently recognized and valued as an essential component of cancer treatment and care.

Reprinted with Permission of the Ithaca Journal
Original Publication Date: January 5, 2013

Excerpted with permission from When Your Life is Touched By Cancer: Practical Advice and Insights for Patients, Professionals, and Those Who Care by Bob Riter, copyright (c) 2013, Hunter House Inc., Publishers.

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