“I wish people knew that I never expect them to have the right thing to say,” Kate Bowler, historian and stage 4 colon cancer survivor, told SurvivorNet in a recent interview, referring to the pressure people feel to do the right thing in face of a loved one’s health challenges.
But she also feels pressure, she said, a feeling many cancer survivors can relate to.
Read More“Starting any sentence with ‘At least…’ is kind of a no go. … Minimizing is a desire to make sure the other person feels like it’s right-sized. But there’s really nothing you can do, so minimizing just feels like you’re not entitled to your feelings,” Kate said.
Realizing that people who have cancer don’t always want to talk about cancer is another big one, Kate said.
“Sometimes I’ll want to talk about it, but mostly I’ll just want to talk about the next season of ‘The Bachelor,'” she said.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.