Cancer Patient's Bill of Rights

santabarbarian

Here are ten I thought of... surely others have more to add!

We have the right to put ourselves first

We have the right minimize contact with unhelpful people

We have the right to second opinion, and a third opinion

We have the right to rely on others-- being the receiver, instead of the giver

We have the right to not just participate in but have power over care decisions, well-advised by a trusted team

We have the right to know about integrative therapies and complimentary practices that may help us

We have the right to love and trust our bodies and care for them tenderly

We have the right to know the facts of our medical situation and fully understand treatment decisions

We have the right to say, "maybe just leave it on the porch, in case I'm sleeping"

We have the right to decide what makes our life worth living, and do that

kber

I like it!

I might add:

We have the right to be both sad and angry, as well as to find humor and joy in our lives.

We have the right to sleep, rest, nap and otherwise recharge.

We have the right to a messy house, dirty dishes in the sink and undone laundry. (And we have the right to ask others to help out with the mess.)

We have the right to be confused, fuzzy, disorganized, or otherwise less sharp than our normally brilliant selves.

santabarbarian

Good additions, particularly the sink full of dishes. (Deep into chemo it tired me out to stand up.)

Also the fuzzy/foggy! It was sometimes hard to converse because of the way my brain would just refuse to retrieve words!

Traveltext

Men with this disease have the right to be taken seriously when they present for diagnosis.

santabarbarian

Yes, absolutely!

Traveltext

Men have drafted a breast cancer manifesto:

www.malebc.org/manifesto