When I lived in Houston, Texas, I was friends with several women who were nurses at a world renowned cancer treatment center. They were very bright and cheerful people. But it dawned on me that they didn’t talk about work – at all. I asked one of them about it. She said “So many of my patients die, and we know that will happen when they come in. I just don’t allow myself to think about it.” So here was a health care professional who dealt with cancer on a daily basis, and she just didn’t talk about it.
I had a friend who was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He went through the treatments for it – radiation and chemo – and it went into remission. 20 years later I realized that he had never said another word about it. He was like the World War Two veteran who never talked about being in combat. It was very odd.
I couldn’t think of how to write about cancer because, as I told one person, “It hasn’t affected my world that closely, and I don’t know how I can connect to the topic.”
But was that true?
I remember sitting in that same world famous cancer treatment center when the doctor told my sister that she had a very aggressive form of cancer, and that he recommended a second round of very robust chemotherapy. I saw the fear in her eyes – the first round of chemo had devastated her physically and emotionally. She thought about it for a week, then declined further treatment. It was her decision. She died two months later.
As I reflect, our family has never talked about it.
There’s certainly a pattern here.
Watch Josh Groban as he interrupts a busy train station to deliver an important message about the American Cancer Society and cancer survivorship.
Dan,
I somehow missed this post, I just finished reading …it really speaks to me.
Thank you
Thanks Colleen! This one just fell out on paper quickly, and sort of surprised me. I thought I didn’t have anything to say about cancer. Glad it speaks to you!
You are very welcome, Greg. It was a shock to me as I realized how much I had allowed silence to be a part of my experience being around friends and family with cancer.
Thank you so much for your courage in speaking out, Greg! Yes, by sharing your journey with cancer, you break that barrier of silence, and create the Call to Action in a very positive way.
I’ll continue to watch your brave journey! Continue to speak out – your words are extremely important!
Best,
Dan
Hi Dan,
Thank you so much for this very important article.
Silence has been my experience too. And that is what drives me to make every effort to share my own journey with cancer. To raise awareness and create a “Call-to-Action” for prevention and a cure.
Greg