Astounding Things People Say or Write

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CalGal
CalGal Member Posts: 469
edited June 2014 in Humor and Games
It's that season ... with holiday cards and get-togethers and well-meaning friends and acquaintances ... with foot in mouth or hand ...

What about sharing some of the astounding cancer-related things that are said or written to us?

Today, my husband and I received our first Christmas card. (It's not even December ... geez!) There was a nice written note inside ... that not only mentions that I'm in their prayers, but that two other friends were dx'd with cancer (glioblastoma) and that one died! There was also a copy of an obituary for Miriam Engleberg, known for her book "Cancer Made Me a Shallower Person: A Memoir in Comics" who passed from bc!

Nothing like spreading holiday cheer ... Actually, I got a hearty laugh from the irony of it all!

CalGal
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  • KELL54
    KELL54 Member Posts: 1
    edited November 2006

    dear cal gal i went to a jewelry party three weeks ago and even before i got half way down the table the cookie lee rep was showing me bc braclets and watches.ofcouse i felt weird but my sister covered for me and said "she really only wears gold instead of silver." any way our mother already bought her enough pink stuff.

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  • jz20022001
    jz20022001 Member Posts: 480
    edited November 2006
    That's awful! You really wonder about some people.

    It's kind of like those women who told all kinds of horror stories to pregnant women at their baby showers.

    Catherine
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  • biondi
    biondi Member Posts: 223
    edited December 2006
    one guy where i work, upon my telling him i had a double mastectomy, said,"well, they were small, so you probably won't miss them much anyway." and he was a friend of mine....OMG! just to ignorant to respond to..
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  • PattyMN
    PattyMN Member Posts: 40
    edited December 2006

    My sister-in-law has invited us to their "neighborhood Xmas party" to meet the neighbor who is newly diagnosed with breast cancer. This neighbor of theirs had a lumpectomy, and is now having rads, and my sil is just sure that my own experience (started in 12/05 -lumpectomy, ibc, chemo, mastectomy and rads) will "cheer this lady up". If I go, I hope to provide a safe harbor from my sil :-) oh dear...

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  • CalGal
    CalGal Member Posts: 469
    edited December 2006
    The jewelry rep was bad ... anything for sales (?!), the co-worker was astoundingly offensive, and now a SIL ... who wants you to cheer up the neighbor?!

    You'd think tne SIL would want you to feel better ... and a n'hood Christmas party isn't exactly the time for you to do that ... even if you wanted to ... I'm guessing that your SIL is a lot of work and a piece of work!

    Yesterday, I finished my Christmas shopping ... and I found it astounding that of all my credit card purchases the last few weeks, it was only the last two sales clerks who commented on the difference between my ID (from only 2.5 years ago) and my appearance ... I replied "cancer and chemo really suck" ... which was met by a stunned silence from one (a woman probably 21) and empathy from the other (a guy around 38-40), who mentioned that his sister had been struggling with cancer.

    I have to say I find it scary that more people haven't commented on that, just in terms of identity theft ... But, the comments combined with those awful dressing rooms was a downer and made me feel bad about my appearance/self-image in comparison to how I looked even 10 months ago (before hair loss and chemo weight gain/bloating) ...
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  • jz20022001
    jz20022001 Member Posts: 480
    edited December 2006
    I had a detached retina five years ago and had to wear an eye patch for a week. It was amazing that no one made any comment during my weekly grocery visit. I've gone to that same store for over 25 years and all the clerks know me. I was surprised that no one asked about my eye, but maybe they didn't know what to say. Oh well...

    Catherine
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