A Death Precedes a Rebirth

One of the most important things that I have found as a cancer survivor is to remember that stories can often serve as guides to new perspectives. A perspective that I like to take on when struggling through remission is the concept of “death and rebirth” in a person, which is introduced by Mr. Joseph Campbell. Campbell, most famous for his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, signifies the basic structure of a hero’s journey found in essentially every story that we have.

Basically, it begins with a character living in a world of order. The order is disrupted by some act of chaos, such as a murder. The hero must leave that world of chaos in order to find a way to bring order back to his home. But before he can go back home, he must undergo a death and resurrection spiritually. By this, I mean that a part of the hero, whether plagued by some sort of flaw or immaturity, must shed an undesirable part of himself in order to be tempered and become a stronger person.

The Lion King, a film that I’m sure most of us have watched, is an example of this journey. To focus on “death and rebirth,” I want to discuss Simba’s banishment after Mufasa’s death. That world’s order was disrupted (Scar killed Mufasa) and the hero, Simba, had to leave the Pride Lands.

Simba at the time is dealing with immaturity problems. He takes the excuse that he was responsible for his father’s death to never return to the Pride Lands and take up responsibility as king. He wants to just live his life peacefully and not fulfill his role. It isn’t until Nala and the ghost of Mufasa speak to Simba about his responsibilities that Simba sheds, or “kills,” his immaturity and is “reborn” as a responsible king.

Exactly four years ago, I was struck with cancer on Independence Day. That date signifies a death and rebirth. Americans killed their statuses as British citizens and were reborn as Americans. Similarly, I had to undergo a death through surgery and be reborn as the man I turned out to be as a result of my cancer.

The same journey can be found within all cancer patients. We are thrown into chaos cancer striking us and, in order to find peace, we must find a bliss for us to follow. Though the journey may appear bleak at times, we can all struggle through a heroic journey and find a new perspective of life. We all must search inside ourselves for a way to shed and kill the negative aspects of cancer from our lives and be reborn as strong survivors.

Stay strong.