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Argus, thanks for stopping by and commenting.
posted by
word.smith
on November 8, 2005 at 11:49 AM
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Joe, thanks, as always for stopping by.
posted by
word.smith
on November 8, 2005 at 11:49 AM
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word.smith
Articles (stories) like this one are the reason that I enjoy your blog so much. I just learned something new about Jamaica--the people keeping something like cancer secret.
Very well-written, by the way.
posted by
Joe_Love
on November 6, 2005 at 2:57 AM
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word, I had a pretty close friend who died of it, and my answer is definitely NO. ARGUS
posted by
ARGUS
on November 5, 2005 at 4:30 PM
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Telly,
I've never really thought of cancer as having much to do with the way we live. I've known of people to get blows on the throat for instance and years later, they develop the disease in the same spot, so I'd be hard pressed to think that it's abuse of one's body that causes it. My husband's mother had cancer and she did not eat as much processed food as we do now. It really makes you wonder.
posted by
word.smith
on November 5, 2005 at 5:25 AM
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I can't agree with you more. As a survivor of cancer, I tend to view every unusual pain or ache with a secret dread, afraid that it's the return of the Crab. While the treatment has certainly improved in the last decade, most still regard it with fear, that somehow it's a moral judgement on their lifestyle or that it can be contageous.
posted by
telynor
on November 4, 2005 at 9:11 PM
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MayB,
It is interesting to hear this from your perspective. I know what it is to be smothered because of illness (minor) and I do understand how difficult things must be for those who are molly-coddled by well-meaning relatives. Losing one's independence and life to a sympathetic gaggle of people is not something I would relish.
posted by
word.smith
on November 4, 2005 at 6:24 AM
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Rhiannon,
I can only imagine the range of emotions that one feels on being diagnosed. We all have different emotional responses, but I believe that the healthiest thing to do is face our fears head on and deal with them. A strong support system of relatives and friends must do wonders.
posted by
word.smith
on November 4, 2005 at 6:16 AM
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Word.smith, there was a stigma attached to cancer. I know people who never
let on they had it so that they could the last months of their life just as they wanted. For example I knew a very successful columnist who needed to keep writing - he still had things to say. Had he told people he would have been treated differently and "kind" people would have told him to take it easy, to relax and not to write. That would have been a slow death for him.
It's very hard if you have a cancer diagnosis to observe the reactions of others. I had doomsayers and I had people weep for me even though my prognosis was good. Some people always define you by the illness and while you don't want to deny it, you don't want to dwell on it either. I agree that there are some people who need to know although if I was told today that I had three weeks left I wouldn't tell a soul. I'd live it as well as I could, write some letters, sort out a few things and go.
posted by
Azur
on November 4, 2005 at 5:30 AM
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Tiel,
I wouldn't want negative persons around me if I should have the disease. You've said it well. Those who are closest to us and who can provide support are the ones who definitely should be told.
posted by
word.smith
on November 4, 2005 at 5:11 AM
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Illness as metaphor
Word: Susan Sonntag wrote a book a long time ago called Illness as Metaphor. In it, she explored the emotional connotations of cancer--that it is the body finally triumphing over the spirit. That may explain why some people are ashamed of it. Nonsense, but whatever emotions people feel at that stage I think they need to experience. Rhiannon
posted by
Rhiannon1
on November 3, 2005 at 6:29 PM
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That's an intersting question and hopefully it will remain just a philosophic Q and not a personal one for any of us. "Cancer" until semi-recently was a word to be whispered in our society. The same with the word "abortion." Taboo words. Perhaps there's hang over from that making some people reluctant to tell. And I have no idea what I would do or who I would and would not tell if I'm ever faced with having to make those decisions. But from where I am now, I would say that one should be careful whom one tells. Always tell those who will give emotional and spiritual support and those who must be made aware that there will be changes coming--in every aspect of yourlife so that they do not misunderstand and feel hurt and/or confused. But I would think to avoid people who are negative and fearful and doom sayers. Negativity is deadly.
posted by
Tiel
on November 3, 2005 at 2:07 PM
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Genius, that's exaclty what I think!
posted by
word.smith
on November 3, 2005 at 11:41 AM
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Katray,
I don't know why people feel they need to hide the fact that they have cancer. HIV is also a taboo subject here. Many tend to associate it with homosexuality and in a homophobic society, you know how it is. Sadly, people have been shunned and made to feel less than a person if people find out they have AIDS.
posted by
word.smith
on November 3, 2005 at 11:40 AM
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cancer patients
need support from family and friends, especially during chemotherapy. It's something that should be out in the open. There's no shame, cancer can happen to anyone.
posted by
_the_staggering_genius_
on November 3, 2005 at 10:20 AM
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That is odd Word
Here the disease is admitted to and discussed very freely. In older family members and acquaintances, I have noticed some mild hesitancy perhaps. HIV seems to be the taboo subject in this area.
posted by
Katray2
on November 3, 2005 at 7:37 AM
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