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New Year’s Wishes

Bob Riter is the retired Executive Director of the Cancer Resource Center. His articles about living with cancer appeared regularly in the Ithaca Journal and on OncoLink. He can be reached at bobriter@gmail.com.

A collection of Bob’s columns, When Your Life is Touched by Cancer: Practical Advice and Insights for Patients, Professionals, and Those Who Care, is available in bookstores nationwide and through online retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. All royalties from the sale of the book come to the Cancer Resource Center.

I like to give myself a magic wand at this time of the year to grant wishes to those affected by cancer.

Here are my wishes for 2014:

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

I wish that every receptionist in every doctor’s office greeted each visitor with a smile and kind word.

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

I wish that people with lung cancer weren’t asked, “Did you smoke?”

I wish that bake sales to raise money for individuals with cancer weren’t necessary.

I wish that risk reduction strategies shifted away from the “supplement of the month” to focusing more on what our mothers taught us: eat well-balanced meals, engage in regular exercise, and get enough sleep.

I wish that the friends and families of people with cancer refrained from giving advice (except when requested).

I wish that everyone with cancer took a mental break from cancer at least once a day.

I wish that every caregiver knew how valuable and appreciated they were.

 


Reprinted with permission
Ithaca Journal, Dec. 28, 2013

 

Click here to see all of Bob’s Columns

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