My father, Richard Lloyd Barker, fought mesothelioma with the spirit of a warrior. He did everything with all his heart, and fight against cancer were a business approaching front.
This is exactly the kind of guy he was.
He was diagnosed in autumn 1992 and its prognosis was bleak. Doctors told him he could live for three months without medical intervention and six months with intensive chemotherapy.
Surgery wasn ?? t an option for him. During the 0s ??, medical procedures for the treatment of mesothelioma weren ?? t as efficient as they are now. Because her cancer had progressed to stage IV, doctors ?? didn t the idea of surgery.
So with his injured month, but the mind remains intact warrior ?? s, my father suffered from the relentless chemotherapy. Doctors inserted a port to facilitate the administration of his treatment, and for our family, the struggle for the life of my father ?? s started.
Survival Mentality
My father fought mesothelioma bravely for 13 months.
November 4, 1993, Dad succumbed to the disease. His fighting spirit is what I remember most vividly. His ambition was visible in all aspects of his life. He had the characteristics of a good leader.
My father thought more of others than he thought to himself. There was a problem solver, and had good relations with his family, friends and colleagues. My father was a patient man (unless he was working on a car, then he was a bull ready to charge).
He worked for 20 years in a paper mill where he oversaw more than 50 men? ? including his own brother. I can honestly say that he cared deeply for each paper mill workers
My father didn ?? t just handle things at work. he also managed our finances and interworking elements of our family.
His fighting spirit and personality traits likely played a role in keeping alive for so long. He lived a year longer than the doctors thought possible. Given the poor medical technology available at the time and its prognosis, duration of survival speaks volumes to me.
While researching hero type character traits for undergraduate class, I thought deeply about what led my father? the desire? beat mesothelioma.
I wonder what influenced survival. Was it courage, responsibility, tenacity, improvisation and ambition? If I was fighting for my life, these are qualities I would like to draw.
survival Proof
FeaturesMany psychological researchers, including Dr. Sarah Erickson of the University of New Mexico and Dr. Hans Steiner of Stanford University, believe the personality factors can influence the chances of survival of a person ?? for when the fight against diseases.
Some major psychological factors which can contribute to physical health and resilience are a person ?? s psychological and social function.
For example, if a person can rebound from troubling situations they probably derive beneficial qualities survivalists in fighting cancer. In addition, a person who has good skills and communication relationships may fare better with certain health conditions.
Dr. Elaine Kinsella, lecturer and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Limerick in Ireland, says that people with higher levels of consciousness, agreeableness, openness, extraversion and experience the physical symptoms of stress and illness differently than people with lower levels of these traits.
people with higher levels of these personality traits are more likely to have developed adequate coping skills and discuss a serious illness with a positive outlook, whatever the medical prognosis.
If certain personality traits and behavioral tendencies can influence the outcome of health problems in a positive way, we can start to wonder if there are personality traits that may influence diseases in a negative way.
Exploring the links between illness and personality
researchers from the medical department of psychology at Tilburg University in the Netherlands and Dr Johan Denollet, who teaches social studies and behavioral school, think that there may be a link between personality and health deterioration.
Certain personality traits are correlated with poor health. In fact, Denollet ranked these traits and identified collectively as a type D personality, in which D stands for distressed
Some common traits type D personalities include :.
- Negative outlook
- Frequently worrying and irritability
- Frequently feeling distress
- low self-esteem
- pessimism
- Often the experience of anger
- Fair experience anxiety and depression
people with type D personality usually struggle in relationships. Because they have difficulty expressing their feelings in social situations, they tend to keep their emotions private.
The traits involved with D personality type can have negative health consequences, too.
Type D Personality, cardiovascular health and cancer
Tilburg researchers also found a link between type D personality and heart problems.
people with type D personality are more likely to have conditions such as hypertension and cardiac arrest. Researchers from the nursing department at National Taiwan University in Taipei say the failure of type D personalities to cope with situations of stress and difficulty expressing emotions are factors that influence the development of disease heart.
In addition, the Type D personality people are twice as likely to report problems with their health, compared to people with other personality types, according to studies Tilburg.
More recent studies, such as those conducted in Taipei, show a correlation between personality type D and colorectal cancer.
There are no studies linking mesothelioma and personality type D.
What if you have a personality type D?
First, all hope is not lost.
Many people who have type D personality tend to have a negative attitude to all aspects of life, and having a serious illness like mesothelioma is no different.
a person with a negative approach to the treatment wouldn ?? t fare as well as someone more ambitious and positive about their treatment against cancer.
Denollet suggests doctors spend more time with patients who have a personality type D. If doctors are aware of the indication of the type of personality, they can make a conscious effort to fight against negative feelings despair and help their patients overcome their anxiety and depression feelings.
A doctor may also suggest you see a mental health professional. A clinician can help change the perspective of a person ?? s, in particular as regards a difficult diagnosis.
Always keep in mind that personality doesn ?? t ?? define our health only our perception.
