Building on the comments of @notslow below, here's how I managed to defeat a chronic Leukemia dx some 32 years ago. Borrowing from Sun Tzu, "know your enemy, a

Building on the comments of @notslow below, here's how I managed to defeat a chronic Leukemia dx some 32 years ago. Borrowing from Sun Tzu, "know your enemy, and yourself". Borrowing from Norman Cousins, "laugh your way to wellness". Add to that the power of positive thinking, and those ideas helped. It's not enough to just accept a dx, especially a life threatening one ("you have 2 to 5 years to get rid of this"); rather, in my experience, it pays to take ownership of your visitation; know all you can learn about it, and about how you are dealing with it. Find the loopholes in your approach, and find something you can believe in; that belief, IMHO, is a component of whatever secret sauce will get you through the visitation. In one case mentioned below, someone discovered an environmental cause - a mold. In my case, there were many other factors with which to deal; only those associated with my own behaviors and lifestyle were in my control. I am back to dealing with a different chronic condition, using the same mindset, and recent data suggests I am on the right path. Thinking about writing a medium piece about these ideas.