WE ARE TALKING HEALTH AND THIS MORNING WITH DOCTOR SCOTT ACKERMAN RECEIVING A
CANCER DIAGNOSIS CAN HAVE A
PROFOUND IMPACT
ON HOW INDIVIDUALS ACTUALLY
VIEW THEMSELVES PHYSICALLY
MENTALLY
EVEN EMOTIONALLY.
>>LAUREN VERNO: SO ALSO PEOPLE
LIVING WITH CANCER QUICKLY
BECOME AWARE OF HOW EVERYONE
AROUND THEM IS REACTING TO
THEIR DIAGNOSIS. THAT’S WHAT
YOU HEAR A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY
I’LL BE STRONG
FOR THEM. IT AFFECTS THEM IT
CAN CAUSE THEM TO FEAR SHARING
THEIR FEELINGS THROUGHOUT
THAT JOURNEY. SO JOINING ME NOW
TO DISCUSS THE STIGMA
ASSOCIATED WITH A CANCER
DIAGNOSIS IS ON COLLEGE US
COUNSELOR WITH THE ACKERMAN
CENTER CANCER CENTER
PAUL CLARK. THANK YOU FOR
JOINING US TODAY. I THINK THIS
IS AN IMPORTANT THING TO BE
AWARE OF BECAUSE YOU KNOW YOU
WOULD THINK FOR THE MOST PART
YOU WOULD EXPECT PEOPLE TO
BE SYMPATHETIC WHEN SOMEONE IS
DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER, BUT THAT
IS NOT ALWAYS
THE CASE.
>> THAT’S ABSOLUTELY CORRECT
AND I THINK THAT PART OF WHAT
WE DON’T NECESSARILY
AND STIGMA HAPPENS AND
BASICALLY WHEN WE TALK ABOUT
STIGMA. AND WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT. SINGLING A
PERSON OUT FOR A PARTICULAR
KIND OF CHARACTERISTIC THAT’S
SOMEHOW DIFFERENT AND LABELING
THAT CHARACTERISTIC IS BEING
EITHER DEFECTIVE
OR SCARY, AND AS A RESULT OF
OUR OWN FEAR ABOUT THAT SHINING
THAT PERSON SIDELINING THE
PERSON SOMEHOW KEEPING THEM OUT
OF THE NORMAL PROXIMITY THAT WE
WOULD HAVE BEEN A REGULAR
RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM. AND SO
FOR THE PERSON ON THE RECEIVING
END OF THAT THERE ARE.
CERTAINLY FEELINGS OF BLAME AND
SHAME AND GUILT
AND THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE
NOT JUST GENERAL
CANCER DIAGNOSIS. BUT IN
PARTICULAR PEOPLE WHO HAVE
LUNG CANCER.
>> YEAH, BECAUSE I MEAN THERE’S
A FEW THINGS YOU HEAR NOW, IT’S
LIKE EAT HEALTHY
EXERCISE AND IF YOU DON’T DO
THOSE THINGS THAT YOU COULD
POTENTIALLY GET SICK SO WHEN
THAT HAPPENS IN A PERSON’S LIKE
WILL WASN’T ME AND AS YOU JUST
MENTIONED WHAT LUNG CANCER,
SMOKING YOU KNOW AND PEOPLE IN
MY DAD WAS A SMOKER, HE DIED OF
LUNG CANCER AND THERE ARE MOMENTS I WAS SO ANGRY WITH HIM, BUT I REALLY HAD TO PUSH
THAT ASIDE REALIZING THAT ALL I
COULD DO RIGHT NOW IS
SUPPORT HIM.
>> CERTAINLY AND I THINK THAT
YOU KNOW BECAUSE WE’VE
ASSOCIATED SMOKING BEHAVIORS
WITH GETTING
LUNG CANCER. WE’VE SORT OF COME
TO THINK THAT THERE’S A CAUSAL
RELATIONSHIP THERE AND THAT
SOMEHOW PEOPLE COULD HAVE JUST
QUIT SMOKING AND THEY WOULD
HAVE GOTTEN CANCER AND THE
TRUTH OF IT IS CANCER,
HAPPENS, ANYBODY CAN GET CANCER
WHETHER YOU’RE A SMOKER WHEN
YOU HAVE GREAT LIFE HEALTH
HABITS OR NOT
CANCER IS POSSIBLE FOR ANYONE
AND I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO
UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN A PERSON
SHARES THEIR DIAGNOSIS WITH
YOU. THEY’RE TAKING A RISK.
THEY UNDERSTAND THAT YOU MAY BE
FAIR FULL AND MAY BECOME
AVOIDANT
OF THEM BUT TRUTHFULLY WHEN
SOMEBODY THAT’S DOUBLED
IN THAT IT’S OFTEN THE I’M
REALLY SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR
DIAGNOSIS. DID YOU SMOKE.
IT WOULD BE VERY UNCOMMON FOR
US HERE, SOMEBODY ANNOUNCED
THEY HAD COLON CANCER AND HAVE
SOMEBODY SAY OH I’M SORRY TO
HEAR ABOUT YOUR DIAGNOSIS DID
YOU EAT TOO MUCH
RED MEAT. SO SO REALLY PEOPLE
THAT ARE DIAGNOSED WITH LUNG
CANCER. CARRIE, WHAT’S KNOWN AS
A STACKED STIGMA OR
DOUBLE STIGMA.
>>LAUREN VERNO: WELL, YOU KNOW
IT’S IT’S SO INTERESTING AND AS
YOU WALK THE JOURNEY WITH SOME
WITH CANCER. YOUR
MINDSET CHANGES AND SO NOW
WHENEVER I TALK ABOUT THIS
ALWAYS LIKE SMOKING IS VERY
DIFFICULT
TO QUIT, AND YOU UNDERSTAND YOU
KNOW THIS RELATIONSHIP AND THEN
A YEAR AND AS YOU JUST SAID YOU
KNOW IT’S IT’S NOT NECESSARILY
ALWAYS
THE CAUSE SO HOW CAN WE YOU
KNOW BEST SUPPORT SOMEONE
BECAUSE OUR FIRST REACTION MAY
NOT BE
THE BEST.
>> RIGHT SO I THINK THE THING
THAT WE NEED TO BE MINDFUL OF
HIS 7 SOMEBODY SHARES A CANCER
DIAGNOSIS. IT’S BEST IF WE CAN
RESPOND WITH.
YOU KNOW CERTAINLY SOME LEVEL
OF UNDERSTANDING SOME LEVEL OF
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT. AGAIN CANCER
HAPPENS IT CAN HAPPEN
TO ANYONE. AND WHILE I THINK A
LOT OF TIMES WE WANT TRY TO
DETERMINE SORE. WHAT WERE SOME
OF THE THINGS THAT CAUSED
THE CANCER. WE DON’T REALLY
KNOW WHAT CAUSES CANCER.
BUT WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT
WHEN PEOPLE
HAVE CANCER. THEY’RE AT A
PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TIME
AND THEY NEED OUR EMPATHY THEY
NEED. SUPPORT AND THEY DON’T
DESERVE
THEIR CANCER.
>>LAUREN VERNO: YEAH, GOOD
GREAT DISCUSSION, I KNOW IT’S
KIND OF IT’S HARD TO THINK
ABOUT THIS STUFF BUT WE’VE ALL
HAVE TO BE MORE CONSCIOUS.
HOW WE’RE
TREATING OTHERS, ESPECIALLY