Is every single person who has ever gotten cancer been "strong" and "brave" and whatnot? There has to be at least a handful of people who were frightened and weak.
It's not like if I suddenly got cancer tomorrow I'd turn into a warrior woman with a pink bandanna around my head.
Maybe I hate the color pink. Maybe I'd be too scared to go to the doctor. Maybe giving me a Beanie Baby that claims I am beautiful and tough isn't what would help me at all and just make me feel worse because, for one, I'm not six and for two, I don't need to be beautiful or strong, I need to be allowed to be vulnerable. Even if it makes you feel uncomfortable because there isn't a bracelet that says "scaredy cat" on it at Hallmark.
I think we've over-used certain terms when it comes to people with terminal illness. We've pigeonholed them into superhero status, and while surviving such an illness is an incredible and life changing experience, they are, after all, people. And furthermore, the ones who don't survive might have battled harder than the survivors. "You can beat this!" Um, maybe you can't. Fight on, but lets quit it with all the generic empowerment garbage. It's not helping.
We need to back off a little bit and allow people to feel the full spectrum of their feelings. And definitely knock it off with the cutesy shit.
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