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This past week I was reminded about the importance of attitude in our approach to life’s challenges. My long time patient came in for her annual exam. I had not seen her since 2015. I asked her if she had cheated on me. She said no. She told me that she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a few years back. She had surgery and then was on chemotherapy. She did well but then had a recurrence of her cancer a couple of years ago. She now has stage 4 pancreatic cancer and is getting chemotherapy again.

When a cancer reaches stage 4, it means that that is has spread distant from where the initial cancer was found. By listening to her, you would never know that she had stage 4 cancer. She said it was all about attitude and hers was upbeat. She said when you have this kind of diagnosis, you begin to realize what is important in life. You get your affairs in order and you start living. She does not want anyone to feel sorry for her because she is living life and others should do the same. You need to have the attitude of living and making each day count.

I asked her for permission to share her story. I told her that we all needed a reminder of how important it was to have the attitude of living. Let us take time this week to reflect on what that means for each of us. For me, it is all about relationships-family and friends. It is about not letting anyone get “under my skin”.  It is about focusing on all the positives. It is about being satisfied for what I have and thanking God for my blessings.

And to my patient -thank you for giving me permission to share your story. Thank you for reminding me about the importance of having the attitude to live.