I’m Not a Cancer Survior, or a Cancer Warrior
What to call or not call a person with cancer
If the Inuit people have fifty words for snow, we can have a few more words for people with cancer.
Cancer Haver While this won’t look great on a tee shirt, it’s the best way to explain my relationship to cancer. It’s a disease, and I have it. I also have high cholesterol, but I am not a high-cholesterol warrior. My husband has asthma that is regulated by the medication he takes, but he would not call himself an asthma thriver. If he did, I would punch him in the throat.
Cancer Survivor This works better if you are completely cured of cancer. But for me, and many like me, it is something I will be living with for the rest of my life. I’m not surviving it. I’m living with it. If I ever have cancer and live through an earthquake or flood, I will use Cancer Survivor.
Cancer Patient Nope. This sounds like someone in the hospital wearing a hospital gown. Even when I am in the hospital in a gown because of cancer, it sounds too grim. I don’t promote toxic positivity, but we can be a little creative.
Cancer Thriver This one is wonderful, and I hate it. The dictionary says thrive means prosper and flourish. Even on my best days before cancer, I’m not sure I was prospering or flourishing. I’m not a…
