Question

The Short Story
No Need to Lie
Cancer may not be a terminal disease as most people take it to be. Write an essay in support of the above statement drawing your illustrations in Rolf Schmid's story, No Need to Lie.

Answer 1

Introduction 

In the story, No Need to Lie, Cancer, a disease which is perceived as fatal by many of its victims, may actually not be so as Rolf Schmid summons all in his power to defeat it, at its third and very dangerous stage. 

1. Rolf's strong desire to see his family members, particularly his children grow up under his care, gives him the motivation and the strength to fight the disease successfully. (pgs 125, 126, 131, 132, 134, 135) 
2. He has an outstanding strong-will and optimism summoned and translated from his judo and other sporting experiences, which make him believe that he must conquer the disease and he does so with success at every stage. What makes Rolf survive the cancer onslaught is his will-power and sense of optimism. He convinces himself that he cannot allow himself to die, “I am too young to die,” he tells himself, “I have children, a wife, a business and a future. No, I am not going to die." And he repeated this over and over in his mind. The sight of people who have lost their lives in the radiation scare him, yes but that does not dampen his spirit. He loses hair and weight and the pain is excruciating but his ardent inner personality keeps on reminding him not to give up. And he keeps on telling himself that he cannot die (pgs 125, 126, 127, 129, 134) -optimism
3. Schmid succeeds because of his dedicated and genuine friends. Many fake friends abandon him but the few that remain with him become the proverbial straw that he clings onto all the way to defeating the disease. “Although I lost several friends, I could still feel the support of few true friends, the honesty of their concern and vowed that I would not let them down." (pgs 127, 128, 131, 134).
4. He ensures that he forces food down his throat despite the pain it causes him. Schmid gets to realize that the most important route to recovery from cancer is to eat and he ensures that despite the excruciating pain he feels in the course of eating, he does so with all the strength of will. (pgs 126 - 127)
5. Schmid respects and follows doctor's advice and readily apologizes when need be. Cancer treatment comes with devastating consequences like loss of weight as well hair from the head but Rolf faces it, as the doctor demands, with courage and goes through on biopsy, radiotherapy and finalizes with the most dreaded chemotherapy: (pgs 123, 128, 131, 133, 134-135)
6. Schmid keeps his body strong with sporting activities even when his physical condition is traumatizing.