James "Rhio" O'Connor Memorial Scholarship Essay Contest

Everyone needs a role model. Children especially look up to and try to imitate people they are close to. They mimic, aspire, and cling to iconic figures, believing they too can be just like these heroes. They do not know defeat or limitations, and they believe anything is possible. As we grow up, many of our role models fade into the past. We no longer view Superman in the same light, and realize that one day we will not be Clark Kent. However, every once in a while a true role model is found. A person emerges who motivates others when they are at their worst, when they are tired and ready to give up their fight. James “Rhio” O’Connor was and still is one of these people.

Rhio is an inspiration, especially to his fellow cancer patients. He fought his diagnosis and outlived mesothelioma and his prognosis by over six years. His story encourages me to not let a health prognosis define my future. If I were faced with a similar challenge such as Rhio did, I would hope to look beyond traditional methods, which could be successful, but only for a short period of time and limit my quality of life. I would hope to never end my search for a more successful regimen. If I could not win my battle against cancer, I would hope to motivate others to not settle for less, but search for other options.

To learn that one has a dire cancer prognosis is devastating to the patient. I would expect that hearing the news that I only had a year to live would initially cripple me. A mourning stage would follow, but eventually I would move past this stage, and look towards the future. After collecting myself, and breaking the news to my family, I would brainstorm with them about my approach towards conquering cancer. I would seek out other opinions on my case and pursue specialists in the field. Living close to New York City, I would request the advice of physicians and clinical teams at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

After hearing other opinions and meeting with numerous doctors, I would have a big challenge ahead of me. I would need to sit and channel the Rhio within me. Rhio’s unfathomable courage to reject his diagnosis, face his doctors and question their theories, allowed him to outlive his death sentence. Like a mother who is capable of moving a car to save her child, I would also need to do the nearly impossible. My belief in something bigger than myself and my desire to live would give me the strength to do so.

After the initial shock, I would need to create a detailed plan of attack to defeat my enemy, my very own “Mr. Meso,” as Rhio referred to his cancer. I would start my own research, since educating myself would be key. This would begin broadly, focusing on the function of the organ or organs impacted by my disease. Then, I would look into the cancer itself. I would research traditional treatment plans, side effects, lasting effects, and the general prognosis. I would conduct searches on current research in the field, clinical trials, and alternative treatment approaches. Then, I would approach my research from a global perspective. How are other countries treating this illness? I would not limit my research to studies occurring within the United States, or medical practices only performed here.

With a better understanding of my disease and the treatment options, I would meet with my medical team to discuss my case and the alternative approaches I discovered. If I learned that a traditional approach for treating my cancer would be effective in eradicating the cancerous cells, I would pursue such a method. However, if this treatment would only prevent the cancer from spreading, potentially extending my life by a couple of months, but rendering me bedridden, exhausted, and unable to experience this life, I would decline such a treatment.

Next, I would begin contacting patients with similar medical conditions. I would approach this task by joining online groups for patients with cancer, contacting Cancer Monthly, the American Cancer Society and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, joining spiritual support groups, and talking with patients at the hospital. Not only would this be a wonderful opportunity to compare ideas, experiences, and approaches to overcoming our disease, but it would also help create a support network of patients and families going through the same experiences as myself. Hopefully, I could find other resources such as the Hope Lodge in New York City, supported by the American Cancer Society, where I could live with a caretaker and focus on fighting my disease. Such resources can reduce the stress of financial burdens staying in a hotel creates while being treated.

After exhausting all of these resources, I would once again meet with my medical team to discuss the available options. Having discovered alterative treatments, my medical team would have expanded beyond my original oncologists and surgical team, now including nutritionists, holistic doctors, and potentially other professionals from abroad. In the end, my treatment would be my decision and my decision alone. But, I would need to consider the impact my treatment would have upon my family, my support network, and upon myself. I would need to consider the financial implications as well, as many experimental procedures are not covered by health insurance. Hopefully, I would be able to begin a custom regimen supervised by educated professionals from various fields to help monitor the progress of the treatment. Ultimately, I would leave the rest to faith and prayer, hoping that my regimen would beat the cancer and the doctors’ initial prognosis.