Once a person has been to the brink of death, lost their finances, felt absolutely rejected by someone they loved, been stigmatized by the medical community, faced liver cancer or any other catastrophe, they dig deep. They find a different kind of hope. Read here to see Hope on a spectrum.
We have those moments where we say, “I can endure anything.” Another day we say, “Faith and Love will see me through.” Sometimes hope looks like, “It may not ever get better, but I will become transformed by my pain and loss.” Lying in my bed every morning over the past 15 years, I accept the reality of my physical life. Then I start cranking up the hope level for the day.
Finding Strength Through Adversity
Life has a way of throwing unexpected challenges our way. We often find ourselves overwhelmed. I have faced all of these and continued to search for something to keep me going. Since facing death from end stage liver cirrhosis with ascites and bleeding varices, I get it. Hope is not always a one-size-fits-all feeling. It can take on many forms, and each one offers a different kind of strength.
You too may be living through the unthinkable, such as being diagnosed with liver cancer or facing a liver transplant. At that point, hope becomes something deeper than the need for a cure.
Hope Evolves
As many survivors will tell you, true hope evolves. If we are going to make it, hope has to become something more personal, more transformative.
Suffering is Real
Hope doesn’t always mean the end of suffering. We don’t always get instant miracles or a guaranteed cure. Sometimes, hope looks like the ability to endure hardship and pain, even when the future is uncertain. It’s the strength to wake up each day and face the challenges ahead, even if they seem insurmountable. Hope may not be an end to the pain, but it brings the determination to keep going, One Day at a Time.
The Hope of Endurance
For me hope began with the desire to survive. I had just gotten remarried after my first marriage failed, mostly due to my liver disease. Being a newlywed with cancer was so sad. I wanted a promise that the treatment would work, that the tumors could shrink, and I would live out my life with Joe. But as always, this kind of hope was tested. I needed a different kind of hope.
I knew that treatments could fail. Side effects often became unbearable. But during treatment, what I was left with was a raw, vulnerable version of hope—the hope of endurance. Endurance is less about future outcomes and more about the ability to survive each moment, no matter how painful or uncertain.
Evidence Based Hope
Endurance-based hope teaches you to find strength in the NOW or present moment, AND to keep fighting even when the end result is unclear. It’s a quiet but powerful hope that sustains us person when the odds seem too high. When everything else falls away, we look to our medical providers to find hope.
It’s people who remind us that faith and love will carry us through. For liver cancer and liver transplant survivors, this determination grows stronger as we see all the people who are working to keep us alive. It’s the belief that no matter what happens, the love of family, friends, or a higher power will give us what we need to make it.
There are no promises that life will be easy or that pain will end immediately. But I get a sense of comfort and trust that something bigger than me is in control. I need a reminder that I am not alone.
In the case of liver transplant survivors, I think that the idea that faith or our loved ones will help them get through after such a life-altering surgery helps our focus. This reminds us that even in the hardest times, we are surrounded by love, grace, and support.
The Hope of Transformation
Sometimes we aren’t just waiting for things to get better; it’s about transformation. Many of us with chronic liver disease, including liver cancer, move toward personal growth. Our pain, loss, and suffering create PTSD , but the struggles we faced can create new strength, wisdom, and compassion.
A Different Kind of Hope
None of this is about being totally healed from liver disease. I say it’s about finding meaning and purpose along the way. Survivors of liver cancer or liver transplant recipients often speak about the deep transformation that happens within them as they learn to navigate the pain and limitations of their new reality.
We begin to realize that our suffering has led us to a place of inner wisdom. We have a sense of gratitude, resilience, and purpose. Daily life becomes less about fighting the disease and more about living each minute fully alive. I hope that you too find that liver disease can lead to a new kind of hope.
Your Best Friend, xo Karen
