‘Fear, acceptance, treatment,  waiting, hope’

Ruth Roberts of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, was diagnosed with stage IV adenocarcinoma lung cancer five years ago.

“Agony. I had no idea where to start. I found all the treatment facilities locally. I was assigned a doctor who gave me 12 months to live, with or without treatment. The doctor advised me  that I may be better off not treating it, so I switched based on references. That was 5 years ago. I couldn't have a doctor that would take away hope.

“Even though I moved forward, it took months for the shock to end. And then one day I decided to embrace this as a learning experience, and it made it a spiritual journey.

“It has given me more strength and resilience. It has allowed me to learn to live without knowing what the next day, hour, minute, moment might bring. I have become more grateful and hopeful.”

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Ruth’s six words to describe her cancer experience are “Fear, acceptance, treatment,  waiting, hope.” Share your six words here.

Ruth’s words, which were shared digitally through Tell KC, have been lightly edited for clarity.

As part of a local reporting project around the upcoming Ken Burns documentary series, Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies, KCPT presents Cancer in KC.

We want to learn more about how cancer affects our community. How has cancer impacted your life? Share your story.