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Uncle Zhao is a typical older generation, when he was young, he mixed the streets, smoking, drinking, and staying up late was commonplace, although he was old, but these bad habits still accompanied him.
When he was diagnosed with lung cancer, he refused to go to the hospital for treatment, preferring to smoke and play mahjong at home, just to pursue the "freedom" he wanted. This phenomenon is worth pondering, what is true freedom, and should it come at the cost of health?
When Uncle Zhao was young, he was a street gangster, hanging out with a group of friends all day long, smoking, drinking, and seemingly becoming the whole of his life.
Even if life is tight, Uncle Zhao is reluctant to smoke a cigarette or drink a sip of wine.
The years have passed quietly, and those brothers who were once powerful have long been scattered all over the world, only Uncle Zhao is still guarding the mahjong table on that side, living a life of day and night.
Until one day, Uncle Zhao felt breathless and panting, so he had to go to the hospital for examination.
The doctor told him that years of smoking, drinking, and staying up late had made his lungs full of holes, and he was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, but Uncle Zhao seemed unusually calm after hearing this, and even a little indifferent.
"Doctor, how long can I live at my age? Instead of lying on the hospital bed and suffering, it is better to go home and enjoy a free life!" Uncle Zhao waved his hand and insisted on being discharged from the hospital.
The doctor persuaded bitterly: "Uncle Zhao, now that medicine is so developed, many lung cancer patients have survived through active treatment, if you cooperate with the treatment, maybe you can live a few more years!"
But Uncle Zhao was unmoved, and said with a smile: There are two things I hate the most in my life, one is the hospital, and the other is habit! I am not used to the hospital, and I am too depressed.
And I can't get rid of the habit of smoking and drinking, and I don't want to lose the right to be myself in order to live two more years.
After speaking, Uncle Zhao left the hospital without looking back, and when he returned home, he lit another cigarette, made an appointment with a few old friends, and started a new round of mahjong battles.
In the smoke, Uncle Zhao's face was filled with a satisfied smile, as if life had been sublimated in this short-lived pleasure.
As a doctor, I understand that everyone's attitude towards life is different.
Some people are willing to use everything in exchange for a few more years to live, and some people care more about the final quality of life, Uncle Zhao chooses to smoke and play mahjong at home, maybe it is what freedom looks like in his mind.
But what I would say more is that true freedom should not be based on a disregard for health.
If smoking and drinking are already overdrawing one's life, how can we talk about freedom? If we had established a healthy lifestyle at a young age, perhaps Uncle Zhao would have a different life in his old age.
Life is precious, health is more valuable, every day is making choices, may we all choose the path to a healthy, positive, meaningful life, because only by practicing can we truly embrace freedom.
As a doctor, in the face of a patient like Uncle Zhao, I can only respect, but my heart is more regretful.
I hope he can realize the problem of lifestyle sooner and seek change, maybe the outcome will be very different, which also reminds each of us not to wait until we lose our health to regret it.
After all, life is short, and being able to live a wonderful life in a limited time is the best tribute to life.
As an MD, I understand that everyone's attitude towards life is different, some people are willing to pay anything for a few more years to someone who cares more about the quality of life at the end of life.
Uncle Zhao chose to smoke and play mahjong at home, perhaps it was what freedom he thought he wanted.
But we can't ignore the importance of cancer prevention, which is statistically preventable by preventing more than one-third of cancer deaths.
First, it is important to establish a healthy lifestyle
Quit smoking and limit alcohol, maintain a healthy diet, exercise moderately, and maintain a healthy weight are all effective measures to prevent cancer.
Second, regular screening should not be neglected
Many cancers have no obvious symptoms in the early stage, but if they can be detected early through screening, the treatment effect is often greatly improved, taking lung cancer as an example, low-dose spiral CT screening can reduce lung cancer mortality by 20%.
Third, avoid exposure to carcinogens
Such asbestos, benzene, carcinogenic pesticides, etc., are also an important part of cancer prevention, in daily life, we should also pay attention to sun protection, because excessive ultraviolet radiation is the main cause of skin cancer.
Preventing cancer seems simple, but it requires long-term perseverance, and many times, people always think that "cancer is far away from me", but when it really comes, we suddenly realize that health is the most valuable asset.
The meaning of life is to create value for oneself, to one's family, and to this society.
And all of this needs to be based on health, and I hope Uncle Zhao's story can give everyone a warning: don't let "freedom" become an excuse for indulgence, because true freedom is based on being responsible for life.
What do you have to say about this? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section!