Cancer and Ass Kicking

In case you were unaware, The Hubs likes to watch a lot of really random TV shows. They are usually the type of shows I do not find interesting enough to watch, but are perfectly fine to be running in the background while I play Words with Friends or write blog posts.

The other night he was watching something about trucks and mud bogging and a race and they were doing the little background snippets of the people participating in the race. There was one guy racing who had been diagnosed with cancer in 2006 and he was briefly talking about that. He is cancer free now and his way of putting it was “I decided I was going to fight it and kick cancers ass and I did.”

Now, first and foremost, before anything else let me say that I am really happy for him. I am happy for anyone who goes through the horrible experience that is cancer, chemo and all that comes with it and manages to become cancer free.

 That being said, I hate it when people say things like “I decided I was going to kick cancers ass, and I did.”

Why?

Because the implication is that people who don’t kick cancers ass just didn’t try hard enough. I know that’s not what he means, but that is how it sounds and it rubs me the wrong way every time.

The fact of the matter is, he had a type of cancer that was curable, it was found early enough, and thanks to medical advances and a good medical treatment plan and a team to implement it, he is now cancer free.  I am sure it took a lot of work and sacrifice from him and took a toll on him mentally and physically while it happened. I’m glad he was able to get through it. I wish everyone else who has cancer would have the same outcome. But that isn’t always possible.

Too many people that I love that have had cancer and they all fought like hell. If there was an ass to be kicked, I assure you they were kicking it.

They didn’t all make it though. Some of them, too many of them, died.

And it sure as hell wasn’t for lack of trying.