Sterotyped

For as long as I have had cancer , the way it has been  portrayed on television always makes me smile . It usually begins this way :

The victim sits in a recliner with an afghan  covering their legs . Their faces are drawn into a frown , their skin pale and without makeup .  Sometimes a shawl is covering their shoulders and almost definitely a scarf on their head . At home , they are throwing up in the bathroom repeatedly and there is always a friend who buys them a joint to smoke for the pain . 

That's basically an old version of a cancer patient . Yes , we are bald . Yes , we sit in a recliner as we receive treatment . That's when the similarities end .  For the most part , we lead or at least , try to lead normal lives .

If we look sickly , pale and are throwing up , we are seriously sick . Treatment has come a long way and with the use of steroids , we can hold our cookies well .

Unfortunately , there has been a cancer invasion . We either know someone with cancer or we have cancer ourselves . It is no longer a distant , hidden away illness that is spoken in hushed voices . 

I cannot tell you how many times  women have approached me with various questions when they learned I have ovarian cancer .
People have become aware of cancer more than ever before . They want to know about it all they can .  

Please don't misunderstand me that I'm making light of a very serious disease . There are many people who have a tremendously hard time with acceptance . The treatments are no laughing matter nor are there any easy side effects . Chemo is chemo , anyway you look at it . 

The point I am trying to make is that we no longer play victim to cancer . We try to lead normal lives as much as we can . We continue to work , play and go on living . That's the best remedy that I can prescribe . 

It would be nice to see the entertainment industry  portray us more in that light than in their version . It's not the end , until it's really the end . Have a Blessed day everyone .