English Community

Hello all,

One of our Teal Sisters recently posted about how she has experienced some 'insensitive' comments and responses from people relative to her cancer. While in most situations these comments were not meant to be hurtful, they can still sting. I know so many of us have been in this situation and so I thought I'd reach out to this collective for your wisdom. What are some ways you have handled this when it's happened to you? I'll start by attaching an article on this topic. Thanks everyone.

How to Handle Insensitive Comments

#Resources

Hi all...I thought I'd repost this item to see if there were any pearls of wisdom out there relative to this topic. I know we've probably all experienced some misplaced comments that while not intentional, still stung a bit. Comments like, "you are done treatment, you should feel so much better", or "everything happens for a reason".

How have handled or responded to these types of comments? I'm hoping to lean into the wisdom of this group to help each other when this happens.

#Supportandencouragement

@Alwayslearning

Thank you for posting this article and addressing the issue of insensitive comments! I understand that people can feel awkward or afraid to talk about this disease and sometimes they put their foot in their mouth. Most people are well-intentioned. One of my friends wanted to know the "cause" of my cancer as in not taking proper care of myself. She thinks everything relates to diet, so I had to patiently explain that I did not cause this illness through negligence! Ugh. My other pet peeve is "everything happens for a reason"… and I say, please explain your belief regarding my situation. And what does that imply?