A MESSAGE SENT BY Tracey , who has breast cancer. Thanks for sharing these special feelings with us!“Just jotted down a few thoughts that might help you explain a few things.
Maybe I should write a book with just these sorts of things in it. They make sense when I read them.
- Don’t pretend to know how a person with cancer feels.
- Everyone accepts and treats their cancers individually.
- A person without Cancer cannot understand how a person with Cancer feels.
- Be accepting of their behaviours.
- Cancer is not just a disease of the body that can be chopped off, radiated and chemotherapied and then it’s all ok. Cancer affects the mind and thoughts also. Nobody realizes this.
- People with Cancer are allowed to be selfish. Depending on their type, stage, aggressiveness, etc, they may be trying to fit in as much as possible before they become too unwell to do things.
- People with cancer realize that the world doesn’t stop because they got cancer. There are still bills to pay, kids to go to school, birthdays to be celebrated, etc. Unfortunately we have to jam cancer somewhere into our already busy day.
- People with cancer can talk about other stuff. Don’t presume we don’t know how to talk about anything else. We would love to talk about anything else.
- Everyone’s cancer creates different sets of side effects, illnesses. Just because one person bounces through reasonably well, doesn’t mean that anybody else will. You need to appreciate the fact that some people will get more side effects than others. After all, we are individuals.
- Don’t be scared to talk to the person, or listen. Sometimes that is all we are after.
- Reality Check!! :- The world is not perfect. People get cancer, learn to deal with it!
- Consider that the person with Cancer may actually feel guilty about having it and the drain that it places on their family and friends. We don’t mean to be a drain, but, “Shit happens”.
- People with cancer can be irrational. We are allowed to be, so Shut Up!
- People with Cancer would love to be on the side of the fence that you are on.
- People with cancer mainly want support from their family and friends. Yes it may be hard, but guess what, the family and friends don’t have the disease. They are not the ones who are going to feel crappy after treatment.
- People with Cancer don’t get the chance to walk away from it. They have to deal with it here and now. People without Cancer sometimes choose to walk away. Lucky them!.”