The Cancer Olympics
Comparisons never help
HEALTHPHYSICAL HEALTHOVARIAN CANCER
First, you may ask, what in the world is the Cancer Olympics?
Well, I'll fill you in.
It is a person with later stage cancer or with a currently poor outlook claiming that people in "better" places cancer-wise cannot compare their cancer journey. Basically saying that lower stages and grades have it better and easier.
So, let me break down why this is false, uncaring, and, in general, rude.
A diagnosis of cancer is a lifelong diagnosis, no matter your stage or grade. Full stop. It is a chronic condition, and there is no way to change that. That's why we say we're in remission, not cured. Some people say NED (no evidence of disease) or cancer free. The caveat is that those things are temporary states. At any point after this proclamation, the cancer can--and often does--return. And sometimes, that Stage 1 cancer can be deadly (Stage is never changed once it is assigned to a cancer diagnosis. Once stage 1 always stage 1 even when it is in another location).
Can you get another type of cancer? Yes, but more likely the original cancer comes back. For some people, the place where the cancer originated is gone. This happens in gynecological cancers when the uterus and other organs are removed. Sometimes, this happens after a mastectomy for breast cancer. The cancer is still the same kind when it recurs. It just shows up somewhere else. Therefore, you can have breast cancer and have brain tumors. It is not brain cancer; it is breast cancer that has metastasized to the brain.
So, you can see why cancer doesn't just magically get better. Initially, the outlook of Stage 3 and 4 is much worse than 1 or 2, however, all four stages may be treated to NED. Sometimes, Stage 4 can mean continuous treatment for the rest of someone's life. Which having done six sessions of chemo, would be terrible to have to go through infinitely.
But back to the topic at hand: these cancer olympics. It isn't fair to play this game. One person's journey isn't the same as another one. Sure, I was stage 1, but I had an incredibly rare form of ovarian cancer with a high recurrence rate. That doesn't mean I'm better or worse than other ovarian cancer patients. It just means I might have to be more vigilant than others. And it may never come back. Ninety percent of people with ovarian in stage 1 live past five years. Those are great odds, but they aren't guaranteed odds. There is still a chance I won't. So, there is no "good" cancer. I heard that one personally. "Did you have one of the good cancers?" And I'm like, what the hell does that mean?
No one with cancer is truly lucky. None of us have a definite outcome we can count on, and comparing stages or grades in such a way is divisive in the cancer community and should be avoided at all costs.
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