When the diagnosis of cancer is made, many people first go through a stage of disbelief.
You will likely be unprepared for this sudden insult to your normal physical and emotional existence. There may be some denial involved. You may think, "The diagnosis is wrong . . . it will go away . . . it can't happen to me." You wish you could make a poor prognosis go away by picking up the phone and saying, "Hello, Heaven, please hold."
But you can hope—and with good justification—that you have significant time left, whether you are cured or not. The opportunity remains for you to enjoy life's pleasures.
Eventually, you are able to accept the idea, "The cancer victim is really me." At that point, you can proceed to the next stage.
