Effects of Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy Over the years of my life, I have dealt with people I love dearly who were suffering from cancer. When I was 10, I lost my father to cancer. It was a devastating blow to my life, even though I was young and didn't really understand what was happening, the impact it had on me, it made me wonder what the point of living was. As time passed, many people who played a special role in my life died of cancer, and many survived and fought the dangerous disease. Just a year ago, another person who meant a lot to me told me she had cancer, and that was my mother. The first thing I thought was death and how I could face it. My mother always taught me to think positive before negative, but the word cancer makes you think of death as a fatal disease. My mother eventually overcame her illness and is doing well, despite some things she can no longer do due to the effects of radiation. Radiation didn't change my mother at all, but it made her a wiser person and she's not ashamed to tell anyone her story. Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. Cancer is caused by both external and internal factors. “In 1999, more than 175,000 women were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and approximately 44,000 died from the disease” (Kasper and Ferguson 1). Many people who eat a diet that includes a high level of fruits, vegetables and fiber can reduce the occurrence of some forms of cancer. “Statistically approximately 547,000 people will die from cancer” (Cook 5). That's almost 1,500 people who will die per day. “In the United States, brea… middle of paper… it's suicide. Most people cannot accept the fact that they cannot go back to living a normal life. Some people don't admit the guilt, resentment, and anger they feel. Family is a good source to turn to to talk about your feelings and how to deal with the problems you are facing. In addition to family, religion is the force to turn to. “There has been a steady increase in the cancer death rate in the United States over the past half century” (Cook 5). The future of cancer can only go forward. With all the treatments that have helped people overcome this dangerous disease, there will never be a cure for cancer, and if there is, we will simply be left hanging. Many people survive and beat the disease, but 1 in 10 people who beat the disease will experience the disease again, perhaps in the same form, but often in a more severe stage.