We have just celebrated July 4, a holiday that makes us think about freedom. The Sousa marches, the displays of fireworks, images of patriotism—these all evoke in our minds the great champions of liberty. “Give me liberty or give me death!”
I grew up when the United States lived under the shadow of threat from the Soviet Union. School days were punctuated by bomb drills and by lessons on the horrors of the Soviet regime. “You have no freedom! They can lock you up with no trial! Their press is controlled by the government! They encourage their citizens to turn each other in for any rebellious thinking—even having children turn in their parents!”
I could never understand how people could live under such restriction, why they didn’t chaff at the harsh control and, in the end, rebel against the oppressors. When I was in high school, though, I heard a talk a by a man who had been a missionary in Russia. He told us that freedom means different things to different people. That in Russia, people looked to the government to take care of them. The principles of communism were that they didn’t have to pay for health care or worry about food or fret over whether they would have a job or not. For the people there, these were elements of freedom. And if that meant that they had to live under an authoritarian regime, then so be it.
In the United States, of course, we have different definitions of freedom. We live under the adage of Benjamin Franklin: “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
So what does this have to do with colon cancer? I think it is about attitude. Some people are diagnosed with cancer and become absolute tigers. They read up on the disease, learn of every acceptable and alternative therapy, research the best doctors, get second opinions, and third, and fourth. Others give themselves into the hands of their physicians, obediently following the path laid out before them by doctors they trust.
Which way is right? Is either path wrong? I tend to be of the first camp, so it is easy for me to embrace the idea of fighting tooth and nail. I know, through the many, many patients who the Colon Cancer Alliance has touched, that some treatment paths lead to better outcomes. Minimally invasive surgery can shorten hospital stays and reduce complications. Using a stint to repair a colon resection may reduce the need for ostomy. Being treated in a cancer center that utilizes a true multi-disciplinary team approach offers the best chance for successful management of liver metastases.
I must also admit, however, that treatment and care are about more than just science. We cannot underestimate the value of receiving care in a place that is familiar, that is located nearby, that is staffed by people you know.
Everyone wants the very best care. It may well be true, though, that different people interpret differently what that means. Isn’t it nice to have the freedom to choose?
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