Yes, you can deal with the impossible!

Thrive to Survive

"You can't live in fear," she says. "You have to live like a warrior. You have to do more than survive -- you have to thrive. I learned that from the wisest, most courageous person I know, my beautiful daughter, Alexandra Rose Guthy."

“The deal of the cards is not always fair,” writes Guthy, who is co-author of Saving Each Other: A Mother-Daughter Love Story, “especially when it comes to being given a rare orphan disease. But as I learned, those same low odds can be overturned. How? Well, the following five steps have certainly worked for me and for others who've given them a try. Hopefully they'll provide you with a starting place, if not a roadmap to thriving, to how you might create your own map."

Step 4

Don’t Be a Victim. "Self-pity, self-judgment, and all other forms of internalizing a diagnosis like mine are not the answer," continues Guthy. "Don't be the helpless Cinderella waiting for the magical Prince Charming (commonly known as the cure) to come sweep you off your feet. As much as it pains me to say it, in the realm of dire diagnoses, there is no time for the magic of fairy tales. You can't indulge in if only thinking anymore than you should allow for what if thinking. Don't be a patient; be an advocate. Be your own Prince Charming, and be a part of the search for the cure. Donate blood to the repository or be part of research efforts, talk to your doctors and other patients, and spread the word about little-understood diseases by educating those around you."