Former model and celebrity chef, Chrissy Teigen, shut down a social media user who claimed that her “unrecognizable” appearance might be because of cancer. On the internet, anyone can say anything, but using cancer diagnoses as a flippant insult is crossing the line.
The controversy began when Teigen, 34, innocently posted a selfie of herself on Instagram while discussing her skin care routine. A social media comment on the post stated Teigen looked “unrecognizable” because of her bone structure and her thin physique. Teigen responded to the user’s comment by stating she doesn’t know her, and doesn’t have a right to comment on her appearance, and the user quickly apologized for a “lack of tact fullness.”
Read MoreCancer Patients And Their Emotions: The Experience
When diagnosed with cancer, negative feelings are common and warranted. Many people will normally experience emotions such as anger, shame, fear, and anxiety.
Dr. William Breitbart, the chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Services at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, says that people feel ashamed that their bodies were susceptible to disease, that they have to undergo treatment, that maybe they're not as strong as they'd like others to believe. However, he also says that this emotion stems from yet another emotion â vulnerability.
“What I will often point out to people is that we have the ability to choose how we respond to this vulnerability,” Dr. Breitbart says. “We can be ashamed of it. Or we can use it to create a sense of empathy. I’m imperfect. Now I understand other people who are imperfect, and so being imperfect can teach you how to love other human beings. It’s what makes it possible for others to love you.”
Dr. William Breitbart explains why shame is a common emotion in cancer patients
Sometimes, this feeling of shame following a cancer diagnosis can lead people to not ask for help. For stage 4 ovarian cancer survivor Robyn Smith, she kept her diagnosis quiet from many people except a select few. However, Smith says that the friends she did tell distanced themselves from her after the diagnosis, and one friend who visited her in the hospital never visited again after seeing her
She kept her diagnosis especially secret from her church, but a close friend decided it was important that Smith’s pastor knew about her battle and that she needed support. In the end, Smith couldn’t be more grateful.
“It was my best friend Debbie, my pastor happened to be up there, and she was up there at the same time, and she talked to him because I would never have done that,” Smith says. “I wouldn’t have done it.”
Ovarian cancer survivor Robyn Smith kept her diagnosis a secret, but support helped her immensely
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.