"I do attribute a lot of my success to being optimistic and never giving up, never yielding to what might have been unpleasant."
Phyllis Medvedow
Lung cancer survivor Phyllis Medvedow has continued to remain positive throughout her diagnosis and treatment, a mindset she believes has made all the difference.
“I’ve always been an optimist. And I do attribute a lot of my success to being optimistic and never giving up, never yielding to what might have been unpleasant or admitting that it really was unpleasant. And I think always keeping the positive side, and even if I was in pain and asked, I’d say, ‘No I’m ok’ because it wasn’t unbearable.
"If I can, I will. If I can’t, I won’t. If I take the cancer as a sign that everything’s going to go bad, I’m gonna become lazy, I’m not gonna get up and do anything, I’m gonna give up. But if you realize that there’s so much that can be done and so much is being done, and you’re right in the heart of it, then you should feel very optimistic about it.
"I think one of the important things too for me was not to dwell on the cancer, whether I’m at the beginning of it or any part of it. And that was a little hard to do sometimes. But not dwelling on it and allowing myself to think of happy things, think of things the kids have done, the grandchildren have done, obliterates the rest of it for now, and I think that makes a big difference.”
Phyllis Medvedow was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer in 2005, making her a 10-year (and counting) survivor. She enjoys reading, crossword puzzles and volunteering, and has learned not to sweat the small stuff.
Phyllis said that the care and support she received from her daughters and husband made a big difference for her. She believes that being optimistic is very important – if you say you can you can, and if you say you can’t you can’t – that attitude really permeates through your body.
For more stories on cancer survival, visit WNPR's Survivor Stories.