“Metastatic breast cancer” – let’s start saying the words. With sadness, I read the news about the death of journalist, political commentator, and author Cokie Roberts. And just days later when a reader shared the news about the death of actress and TV personality Suzanne Whang, I was saddened yet again. Both women died from …
Cancer launguage
When someone you care about is hurting, don’t try to be a fixer. If you’ve ever been in a dark place, emotionally speaking, or gone through tough times, was there someone who really came through for you and made a difference? Do you ever wonder why that one (or if you’re lucky, more than one) …
Sure, most folks are trying to be supportive, I get that. But still, if something said bothers you, I maintain you don’t have to grant free passes unless, of course, you want to.
So, what exactly does beating cancer mean anyway? Of course, words are far from perfect, no matter what you’re talking about. I get that. We gravitate toward the familiar when searching for words in Cancer Land, too. We grab words we hear most often and spew them out often without giving them a whole lot …
The unspoken half of those platitudes actually says quite a lot and is likely not the intended message. Do you ever wonder why platitudes are so darn annoying, hurtful even, to so many? People who offer them no doubt have good intentions. They are trying to make someone they care about feel better. Most of …