I know its a grim question but its one everybody think about. If ur docs told you you had cancer would you be one of those fighter "not gonna let it beat me" types or would you basically die that die?

i'd FIGHT!!
and kick cancer on its ass!

I'm far too cynical and realistic to believe that I could triumph over something like that. Unless it was the operable kind where remission is possible, I'd see it as be the beginning of the end for me.

Actually, I did fight and I did kick it's ass--I got diagnosed with breast cancer 2 years ago. It certainly changes you in a ton of ways--mentally, emotionally and physically, and I basically laughed my way through it with inappropriate, black humor by creating a thread to joke about it in my previous forum. The thread's been archived now, so I can't provide a link, since you have to be a member to read archived threads and I no longer am, but it helped tremendously to write out all that was happening to me, then crack sick jokes about it with the other forum members.

I think maybe it was sort of a way for me to wallow in a bit of denial about all that was happening to me that was out of my control. I chose to fight though instead of knowing how and pretty much when, I'd die if I didn't, so life being out of control was the trade off for being able to keep living.

The experience taught me a lot, and there are a whole bunch of things now that seem petty and unimportant in life that I no longer give two shits about, and that's the aftermath that I am dealing with right now--the mental beating you take and how to keep myself under control when I encounter someone whining about something that's a big deal to them, but really not so in the grand scheme of things, and not wanting to tell them to grow up and F- off. It's a lesson for me in keeping my humility and sympathy for others who haven't necessarily had anything major in their lives to contend with, so they make a drama issue out of everyday stuff.

Overall, I think if you get cancer, and it's caught early, then fight--life sucks ass at times, but it is worth living. My cancer had already started metastazising and I think that even it it were at the worst possible stage with no hope, I'd still want to try and fight anyway--there's too many things I still want to do in life to have just given up and let myself die at 42, a couple of years ago.

I still have days where I freak out and think "I hope they got it all. . . " and I still take a mild chemo pill every day that blocks the estrogen that was fuelling my cancer, and will do so until I'm 52. Some days I just feel exhausted still, and others I can feel my body still healing in the way of the nerves regenerating and me regaining my feeling in my armpit, shoulder and right side of my chest, where the breast surgeon cut away everything.

So I have a "new normal" now, but at least I'm still alive to figure out the rest from here!

That was a candid and inspirational story Hyacinth Girl; I think anyone who ever find themselves in a situation like this should heed what you just wrote.

If I am ever diagnosed with a terminal (or potentially terminal) illness, I would try to fight it, or at the very least do all that I can to remain as healthy/alert as possible for my family. I wouldn't want them to see my spirit die well before my body does.

Of course I would fight it. I may lose the fight but I'm not going to curl up in a corner and die.

Absolutely I would fight it.