As I'm slowly learning to live with cancer (since it's slow growing yet incurable), I'm realizing how cathartic it is to talk about it. While I'm still processing, having 1 year to contemplate my diagnosis and get a couple scans/several checkups under my belt helps.
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I've been talking with someone who's dealing with a fresh diagnosis of the same lymphoma I have, and I learned that sharing my experience can comfort a great deal, and in turn, comfort me. It continues to prove how sharing experiences makes us all feel more human and understood.
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@andrionbecker
Aw thanks. I didn't talk about it much over the past year because I was still processing. Also people's reactions to cancer vary wildly which makes it hard to bring up. I realized if I'm going to be living with this for a very long time, I should normalize talking about it.
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@sleepydino
Oh wow, that is hard to read but it’s amazing how releasing this burden by talking about it can help, glad you shared and had some relief from it.
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@bclark_cgchar
Thanks Brad. It's amazing what sharing a space with someone can do. It feels even more important, especially right now, when so many people can use some empathy and kindness in their lives.
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@sleepydino
Being open about it is cathartic indeed. People tend to get glossy-eyed or internal-panic-faced when I talk matter-of-factly about cancer and the slow recovery process and terror of constantly having to check if it's coming back (a possibility with mine since it's so stealthy)
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@vfxdee
Yeah, reactions can run the gamut, and at first the negative reactions scared me away from being open. I realize that those few times I have spoken about it, it created conversation for those who are going through a similar trauma as well as educate others. That made it worth it.
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