Cancer Lite discrimination

Lets talk about Cancer Discrimination!

What is this thing about Cancer lite.  Cancer kill and cancer lite is just detected early and not invasive as a progressive cancer.   

  One of my friends had the following to say :  Believe it or not, there is discrimination among cancer survivors based on staging and treatment plan.  I have experienced it myself on one of the large breast cancer blog sites.  Since my cancer is only a stage 1 “you really don’t know what having breast cancer is” or “you aren’t qualified to have an opinion because you don’t have to go through radiation or chemo”.   Women haven’t said this verbatim but it was implied.  Basically we are “shoved aside and/or ignored” because we barely have cancer.   And I’m not alone.  I have seen it happen to others.  I have heard this also happens in support groups and with some doctors.  WTH?!?  I didn’t know there was a category called “cancer lite”.  Cancer is cancer…right?

Those of us with Stage 0 or Stage 1 cancer still panic when a new lump is found or we feel a random pain.  We’re still anxious waiting on follow-up test results.  We still make lifestyle changes trying to minimize our risk of recurrence.  Are we supposed to feel guilty because our prognosis is better than others?  Sometimes I do feel guilty, but mostly I feel very, very blessed.

It’s just sad that, on top of everything else, we have to deal with discrimination within our own little “community”.  Seriously? “  What is the deal with all this.  Some would say you are a lucky one.  Yes, but the truth are no one is ever cancer free or cured from cancer - you are just a cancer survivor.

I have found that with cancer within your household and even immediate co-workers it is just best to be strong for your own survival and I can understand that it can be a major frustration if any of your friends would make a terminal illness such as cancer off to be nothing just because you don’t look sick, or because it was caught early.  I never allow myself to complain to others I make jokes, and talk about it as if it is just nothing And even though many times it feels like y breast is on fire or when I am feel tired to death it self - I just keep up the good look But I would like to remind others just because your friend don’t look sick didn’t mean they didn’t need to be babied now and again and that they did not feel tired and overburdened.   

They might not even feel up to sharing  regularly with  you – like did not tell a lot of people the reason for my surgery because cancer will sometimes make people uncomfortable. They don’t know what to say or do. Neither did I.

Just this reminder - humans are self centered - wee don’t like to believe that we are self-centered people but there are just times in our life we want and need it to be about “me.

Sigh…