Why is it Hard to Talk about Lung Cancer?

I have noticed that after almost eight years of being in the cancer world there will be times when the people you are with do not know that you have cancer, or they might know but it isn’t the topic of conversation.

If for some reason the “C” word comes up, it makes the people you are with a squirm and gets uncomfortable. It could be as casual as saying, “Oh when I was going through chemotherapy...” where it isn’t supposed to be elaborated on but is important to the timeframe of the story being said. I have wondered why this is because for me it is an everyday topic. Cancer specifically lung cancer is always on my mind. I think about it when I make decisions whether they are small or large.

But it is our path to walk (albeit an unfortunate path).

Finding the happy medium

I have found that there is a happy medium. We are on this unfortunate path that is lung cancer, so it is only natural for us to want to talk about it. We want to talk about our experiences with treatment, how we were diagnosed, it is always on the back of our minds. The pink and polka-dotted elephant in the room is what I always say. You can share your story in many ways as an outlet. I have been interviewed more times than I know.

In everyday conversations, some people will talk to you about it, especially if they have encountered cancer at some point in their journey. My family is always willing to listen to me rant and rave about anything that is cancer-related on my mind. Strangers, outside family, friends, and anyone else you encounter may not be as interested in hearing your stories, even if they are fascinating!

Don't dim your light for others

There is a quote out there from an unknown source that says, “Don’t you dare dim your light to make others feel comfortable.” I feel this fits in this situation because when you are diagnosed with lung cancer and it eats away at your mind you need to talk about it. Share your stories and maybe it will help the other person down the road.

It can be even more difficult for people to talk about lung cancer. Why is that? There are many articles posted on LungCancer.net about the stigma that comes along with a lung cancer diagnosis. Often people diagnosed with lung cancer feel that they deserve the diagnosis because of choices that were made in the past. This way of thinking has stalled the movement of lung cancer advances because many people think that money is not deserved to be used to find a cure. This is an antiquated way of thinking.

First, we need to address the people getting diagnosed with lung cancer that it is absolutely not deserved, and they are entitled to fair treatment if that is what they want. Second, we need to address the majority of how people think about lung cancer, that it is a disease that can happen to anyone, at any age, and for numerous reasons.

We must talk about our lung cancer

When the topic of cancer and lung cancer comes up in conversation it can be tricky. It is very important for us to talk about it. Many people still do not know that you can get lung cancer as a young adult but here I am. If we talk about it more then maybe just maybe we will get more funding for research.

Let us spread the word that all you need are lungs.