btw - who downvotes ppl (you + me ) praising a guy for battling cancer, because that's what it is ... Cancer strips us of our humanity - doesn't matter who you are, it reduces you. And the only way to live is to keep a positive attitude, do everything medicine has to beat it into submission and see that next sunrise.
I have always liked RMS because he praised solutions to problems, hope there is someone else to carry his torch.
Do you have a cancer? Or are you “a brave hero fighting against the demon foe”? Have you something in your body that needs removing, or are you a heroic victim in a war you may “win or lose”? A poll by Macmillan Cancer Support has found that many people with cancer are fed up with the language of war. They want to be treated like anyone else who is ill. They want to discuss their treatment with a doctor. It is as simple as that.
Anyone with experience of a cancer knows well the lugubrious looks you get. You poor thing. We are so sorry. How long have “they” given you? Be brave. Be positive. Fight back. Don’t give in and “lose”. It suggests you lacked courage and were “beaten”.
I suggest you read the rest of the article since it's pretty short.
The fighting stance is how I treat all illnesses, it suggests both a need for support and, through discipline and great effort, a path to recovery assisted by our actions.