Positive attitude... how it feels. What the average person needs to know.


. ...In fact, many people don’t realize that not all cancer can be cured. When I explain, people often try to cut me off, telling me not to be negative, as if denying the reality of my disease could somehow protect me. I am an incredibly positive, optimistic person, but wishing won’t make my cancer go away any more than it will make everybody understand what it means to be incurable. So much explaining is exhausting.”

— Teva Harrison. Follow her on Twitter and visit Drawing Forward



You know what you know. More importantly, you DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW. I run into this a lot.

The media covers the advances... and I love hearing that there's a pill called Glevix that knocksout GIST. We're making progress.. but there are over 100 types of cancer...I have to be an expert on my type of cancer.

Here's what the average person needs to know:

* How you can reduce your cancer risk.
* Cancer is a simple word covering a lot of conditions.
* "Being cured" doesn't make the cancer leave your mind... cancer will be in my thoughts for the rest of my life...
* Listening to someone is the greatest gift.
* Sometimes the simple response after listening is the best. Cancer SUCKS.


Full quote from above
“I wish somebody would have told me how much time I would spend explaining my cancer to people. Treatment is often different for metastatic breast cancer, and so are its effects. That means that I don’t look like a cancer patient, so people often think that I must be getting better. It’s uncomfortable on both sides of the conversation when I explain that aggressive treatment is generally used with curative intent, when a disease might yet be eradicated.

In fact, many people don’t realize that not all cancer can be cured. When I explain, people often try to cut me off, telling me not to be negative, as if denying the reality of my disease could somehow protect me. I am an incredibly positive, optimistic person, but wishing won’t make my cancer go away any more than it will make everybody understand what it means to be incurable. So much explaining is exhausting.”

— Teva Harrison. Follow her on Twitter and visit Drawing Forward


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