No one actually asked me that and yet it is critically important to know the answer.  I think most of us would instinctually respond with a yes, but do you really want to live?  Life is hard.  Marriages are tough or fail.  Jobs are stressful or are lost.  Kids can be heart breaking.  Depression is real.  Treatment is sometimes more than a person can bear.  Given all that, do you really want to live?

Why?  It is just as important to answer that question.  Do you have a reason or reasons to live?  Not just because it is expected of you, but do you have a purpose or goal?  Are you clear on it?  Do you visualize yourself at your child’s graduation?  Can you see your daughter walking down the aisle?  Can you feel your grandson in your arms?  Do you see your life on the other side of your diagnosis? If not, I repeat, do you want to live?  It is critically important that you be crystal clear on your “Why.”

When I was diagnosed I had just finalized a contentious 3+ year divorce.  During that time, I was not working (I had stopped while still married), it was during the 2007/2008 high unemployment period and I wasn’t finding any opportunities no matter how hard I tried, money concerns were ever present, I moved 3 times in 6 months, my father got pneumonia and died, and my responsibilities for my ailing mother greatly increased.  Prior to my divorce I was in a 14 year abusive marriage.  Add all that up and you can see why my immune system was unable to stay on top of any rogue cancer cell formations.  So, did I really want to live?

My answer was a resounding YES!  As I have previously shared, my first love and I had just recently reconnected.  We were so thankful to have found each other again after 35 years apart. We were making plans and dreaming dreams.  Life and love were finally real parts of our lives.  More than ever before, I wanted to live.  Do I think that had much of an impact on my survival?  Absolutely!  That and God.  It was not a coincidence that we had found each other again after all that time.  That didn’t mean it was easy, it was not.  Many people thought I wouldn’t survive the cancer, no less the treatment, but I did.  And I’m still here.

I encourage each and every one of you to get crystal clear on your “Why.”  Whether you are facing a health crisis or any other type of crisis, knowing your “Why” could save your life.  So, when life gets hard, and it will get hard, ask yourself if you want to live and then get clear on your “Whys.”  Those answers could make all the difference.