Hearing from your favorite musician, actress, or celebrity is one of the most exciting experiences that can happen to someone. For a woman battling brain cancer, she was in for the surprise of her lifetime when she received a very special message from legendary singer, and one of her favorite all time performers, Michael Bolton.
Linda Timbrell, 70, was diagnosed with incurable brain cancer, and not too long after receiving the news, she entered hospice. Timbrell’s daughter, Joanne Jennings, knew about her mother’s adoration of Bolton and revealed that she was planning on seeing him in concert but it was cancelled due to COVID-19. Jennings knew that her mom had been looking forward to the concert for a while, and was devastated when the tour dates were cancelled. So, Jennings decided to reach out to Bolton’s team to see if he could send her a video message to lift her spirits. Low and behold, he delivered.
Read MoreEncouragement Is Vital While Fighting Cancer
Battling cancer is no easy feat, and it’s understandable that patients may forget the good things in life while undergoing treatment. People are warranted to their emotions, which can include sadness, anger, confusion, and just generally feeling overwhelmed. While going through these sensations, it’s critical patients have a support system around them. Additionally, it’s been proven patients who are able to remain positive and feel encouraged typically respond better to treatment.
“The patients who do well with cancer live life with that kind of gratitude, but in terms of everything,” says Dr. Zuri Murrell, Director of the Cedars-Sinai Colorectal Cancer Center. “They’re grateful, not for cancer, but they’re grateful for an opportunity to know that life is finite, but they live life with saying ‘I love you’ to their husband, to their wife, to their kids, [because] that they appreciate it for one of the first times ever. They know it may not be forever that they get to do this. Those are the patients that tend to do well with processing and also living a long, long life despite a diagnosis.”
Dr. Zuri Murrell talks the importance of gratitude and support systems for cancer patients
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