On a personal level, cancer is catastrophic.
We all know the devastation it brings but sometimes, just sometimes, there is an unexpected twist in the tale and there is a happy ending.
We are all on the look out for a massive turn in fortune from a seemingly unconquerable situation to an unforeseen victory.
If that is so, then we are seeking an ‘eucatastrophe’.
JRR Tolkien coined the word ‘eucatastrophe’ to describe a sudden and surprising turn for the better. The word comes from the Greek prefix eu- meaning “good” and ‘catastrophe’ meaning “sudden turn”.
Being told you have Stage IV head and neck cancer is normally a death sentence. The odds of survival are slim and its curtains.
Or is it?
Sometimes, that inevitable disaster doesn’t happen. Sometimes the story ends with a remarkable upheaval and a dramatic reversal of misfortune where light beats dark.
In my case, my two month survival estimate was circumvented by the eucatastrophe of immunotherapy. No one saw that coming. My clinical response was unexpected and my body, despite facing overwhelming odds, triumphed. Immunotherapy is the hero that saved the day, and the next one, and the next one and the next!
When a treatment works, it is a joyous event. Nobody thought I was going to win and the polls all said I was a goner! My treatment is certainly going beyond anyone’s hopes. My story has a chance of ending in joy.
We yearn for miraculous transformations and real eucatastrophes because they do happen. We all want to be pierced by the joy of a surprise twist and happy ending.
Immunotherapy is proving to be the best plot twist I’ve ever been part of. This consolation is the highest function of the cancer fairy story. When all hope seems lost, cling to the possibility of experiencing your own eucatastrophic moment.