phrase "battling cancer"

disneyfan2008
disneyfan2008 Member Posts: 6,583 Member
in Breast Cancer #1
I had very close long tme friend (like mom to me-went to my surgery and office visits with me-since my mom died just prior to my BC-she wouldn't have handled it well so best she was not here)

anyhow...MY friend hated the phrase "battling cancer" did not want it in her obit! Made it clear...

Just curiouse if ANYONE here likes or dislikes the Phrase!


(kind of like I have never said I am survior-I just say I had cancer!)

Comments

  • Hippiechick58
    Hippiechick58 Member Posts: 320
    #2
    We are all individuals.
    We are all individuals. That being said, I think to some of us it is a "battle" both literally and figuratively. And other folks think of themselves as "survivors" because they have survived the battle and can feel proud of that feat. I hear other women refer to themselves "warriors," another battle term. Do you see a trend here? It all stems from a "battle" of some type, and hopefully, we survive and get to attach these terms to ourselves. Sadly, many do not. I am not opposed to any of the labels, mainly because a woman should have a choice in how she refers to herself.

    I applaud your friend's refusal not to be labeled as "battling" cancer. At least she was true to herself. I think we need to speak our minds more often, instead of biting our lip and remaining silent.

    "May you be at Peace; May you be free of Suffering,"
    Dianne
  • disneyfan2008
    disneyfan2008 Member Posts: 6,583 Member
    #3
    Hippiechick58 said:

    We are all individuals.
    We are all individuals. That being said, I think to some of us it is a "battle" both literally and figuratively. And other folks think of themselves as "survivors" because they have survived the battle and can feel proud of that feat. I hear other women refer to themselves "warriors," another battle term. Do you see a trend here? It all stems from a "battle" of some type, and hopefully, we survive and get to attach these terms to ourselves. Sadly, many do not. I am not opposed to any of the labels, mainly because a woman should have a choice in how she refers to herself.

    I applaud your friend's refusal not to be labeled as "battling" cancer. At least she was true to herself. I think we need to speak our minds more often, instead of biting our lip and remaining silent.

    "May you be at Peace; May you be free of Suffering,"
    Dianne

    very well said..
    Thanks...

    Denise W
  • lizzie17
    lizzie17 Member Posts: 548
    #4
    i just say...
    I am a cancer patient. Since still in treatment, it is hard to think of myself as a survivor yet.
  • Marsha Mulvey
    Marsha Mulvey Member Posts: 597 Member
    #5
    lizzie17 said:

    i just say...
    I am a cancer patient. Since still in treatment, it is hard to think of myself as a survivor yet.

    agree or not
    Whether you agree with the term or not, if you've walked in the shoes (with cancer), you know you've been in (or are currently in) a battle!
    Marsha
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    #6
    As long as no one calls me a
    As long as no one calls me a battle axe, I have no objections to battling cancer ;-)
  • disneyfan2008
    disneyfan2008 Member Posts: 6,583 Member
    #7
    CypressCynthia said:

    As long as no one calls me a
    As long as no one calls me a battle axe, I have no objections to battling cancer ;-)

    Cypress
    Too funny...I have not heard that expression in long time....!
  • Lighthouse_7
    Lighthouse_7 Member Posts: 1,566 Member
    #8
    disneyfan2008 said:

    Cypress
    Too funny...I have not heard that expression in long time....!

    Gee first I heard that beast
    Gee first I heard that beast bothered someone, now the word battle!!
    Just my opinion......This has been a battle and I fought with all the strength and courage that I had.
    This disease is a beast because it doesn't fight fair.
    For me strong words like these help me to fight more.

    Just me!
    Love Ya all!!!
    Wanda
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #9
    Lighthouse_7 said:

    Gee first I heard that beast
    Gee first I heard that beast bothered someone, now the word battle!!
    Just my opinion......This has been a battle and I fought with all the strength and courage that I had.
    This disease is a beast because it doesn't fight fair.
    For me strong words like these help me to fight more.

    Just me!
    Love Ya all!!!
    Wanda

    I call cancer the beast and
    I call cancer the beast and I do consider myself battling cancer. I agree with Wanda!


    Leeza
  • disneyfan2008
    disneyfan2008 Member Posts: 6,583 Member
    #10
    jnl said:

    I call cancer the beast and
    I call cancer the beast and I do consider myself battling cancer. I agree with Wanda!


    Leeza

    thanks for imput
    I was not saying it's right or wrong...just wanted other opinions....
  • camul
    camul Member Posts: 2,537
    #11
    disneyfan2008 said:

    thanks for imput
    I was not saying it's right or wrong...just wanted other opinions....

    Battleing the beast!
    I have always considered it a beast as there is no way to really know if it is gone, hiding waiting for another attack. I was neds for 8 years and never considered myself a survivor as I was always on search and destroy! I still say I am battling an uncontrollable beast!

    Carol
  • skico
    skico Member Posts: 7
    #12
    I have never liked the words
    I have never liked the words battle or survivor. I believe in choosing my battles, and it's not like we have a choice with cancer. You do what you need to in order to rid yourself of the disease and hopefully stay that way for a very long time. Depending on one's treatment(s) it may be a very unpleasant ordeal to go through, but again we're doing what we have to - there isn't much choice. I also think using the words winning or losing the battle against cancer can make one feel like a failure. It's not like the person who died from it is a loser and fought any less than one who is still alive. It's just dumb luck. As for survivor, unless you are stage IV or you choose not to pursue any treatment, then it's not like you are at risk for dying any time soon - and even then, many people live for many years with advanced cancer. I think of my stage IV friends as surviving, again hopefully for a very long time, but I have never thought of myself as a survivor since with my Stage I, I was not yet at risk for dying. This is just how I feel personally, but since you asked...
  • disneyfan2008
    disneyfan2008 Member Posts: 6,583 Member
    #13
    skico said:

    I have never liked the words
    I have never liked the words battle or survivor. I believe in choosing my battles, and it's not like we have a choice with cancer. You do what you need to in order to rid yourself of the disease and hopefully stay that way for a very long time. Depending on one's treatment(s) it may be a very unpleasant ordeal to go through, but again we're doing what we have to - there isn't much choice. I also think using the words winning or losing the battle against cancer can make one feel like a failure. It's not like the person who died from it is a loser and fought any less than one who is still alive. It's just dumb luck. As for survivor, unless you are stage IV or you choose not to pursue any treatment, then it's not like you are at risk for dying any time soon - and even then, many people live for many years with advanced cancer. I think of my stage IV friends as surviving, again hopefully for a very long time, but I have never thought of myself as a survivor since with my Stage I, I was not yet at risk for dying. This is just how I feel personally, but since you asked...

    so many diff views...
    no right or wrong of course....

    My friend said she did not carry around sword and shield...she just march foward with treatments...(few times over 25 yrs)

    I miss her so so much...she was like a mom to me...(tomorrow 6mths since she died)

    thanks everyone

    Denise

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