I just learned that Kathryn Seeley died March 23. She blogged her travels with cancer at A Rare Cancer Journey. Her last post, dated January 25, 2016, included a list of "do's and don'ts when it comes to things to say to a cancer patient (or about me)":
1. "She lost her battle to cancer." (Read here.) The implication is that I just didn't fight hard enough. Nothing could be more offensive.2. "God never gives you more than you can handle." This is another annoying cliché. The God I believe in would never test people to see how much they can handle. How mean would that be?3. "Everything happens for a reason." Really? Bullshit. This is one of the most insulting things a cancer patient can hear. Classic Blame The Victim.4. "What is your prognosis?" Well, if it's not good, you've just made the person feel like crap having to explain that they're in bad shape. And the list goes on....I thank her for sharing her path for the rest of us to learn from, and for all the effort she put into keeping the world informed and aware.
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