Emily Levin

     James "Rhio" O’Connor was a man determined to live his life the way he wanted to live it.  When he was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos exposure, he didn’t give up.  With the doctors telling him he had only a year left to live, Rhio rejected the common treatment of his condition and set out to find a treatment that would work for him.

    Rhio was a strong man who was able to face his cancer head-on in order to decide exactly what should be done. He researched the effects of the cancer on his body, the actual biology of it, and how certain things can cause it to worsen or improve.  He decided that the traditional chemotherapy and surgery was not for him, and instead took a less invasive and violent approach.  Rhio discovered the powers of detoxification and good nutrition.  He also began to look into mind-body wellness theories.  The amazing thing about Rhio’s research is that he was really thorough.  He took each possibility and looked at it from all possible angles and wieghed out its long term effects, short term effects, and how likely it was to be successful. 

    Exploring all of his options allowed James "Rhio" O’Connor to find a treatment plan that worked for him and kept him alive for another six years after his diagnosis.  It was his determination and hard work that allowed him to do the impossible.  He really reminds me of my own mother and her struggle.

    My younger sister is an amazing girl, but she’s had a lot of problems in the past five years.  She’s been struggling with depression, learning disorders, and undiagnosed physical ailments. Like I said, my mother is a determined woman, so she has been fighting for my sister in order to get her the treatment she needs: even if it isn’t traditional.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen my mother switch doctors, call for second and third opinions, or change treatment altogether.    Instead of just taking whatever the Department of Mental Health proposes for her to do, my mom explores every possible option and then makes her own proposal.  Sometimes she is disappointed, but as she learns more and more about my sister’s conditions and how the system operates, she is able to be more successful in her attempts to get my sister the help she needs. 

   Like Rhio, my mother holds mind and body wellness to the up-most importance.  She puts a lot of focus on her daughter’s nutrition and her sleeping habits.  I have taken some of the nutritional and sleep advice originally meant for my sister and applied it to my own life.  I can see the effects of these changes in my lifestyle which makes me believe that there is much more that can be done for a person than what one doctor may tell you.  Through Rhio’s story and my personal experience, I have discovered that even options that you may not know exist must be found and researched.

    If I were diagnosed with cancer I’d follow the example that Rhio and my mother have set for me.  First of all, I would research as much about my cancer as I could.  I would utilize every resource from my doctors, to their doctors, to my library, to other people who have it.  I would talk to these people who have or have had cancer and ask them what they’ve found to be helpful, what they found to not be helpful, and what their doctors said about it.  Like Rhio and my mother I would definitely contact a nutritionist and a sleep specialist.  But most of all, I would not give up.

    In my life so far, I have only learned one truth and that is that I am alive, and I must go on living the best that I can.  This is the only thing that I can be positive about.  Who knows about our existence on Earth or the importance of religion?  All we can say for sure is that we are here, and we better make the best of it.  Knowing that, I would certainly not just give up on my life.  I could never see myself doing anything less than being active in saving my own life.  Following in the footsteps of Rhio, my mother, and even my younger sister,  I will not settle.  

Learn more at www.survivingmesothelioma.com