"By the grace of G-d, my daughter survived breast cancer. The woman who used to practice yoga, jog, and not keep red meat or chips in the house, is now drinking a glass of wine more nights than not and spending her days off binging shows and movies. Her logic is, she was healthy before and still developed cancer, why not indulge?"
"Oh heeeeeyyyyy, a moment in which my personal cancer-having expertise is relevant [rolls up sleeves]. Okay, so, when people are lucky enough to survive cancer, they have all sorts of feelings! In the past 18 months since my stage 1 lung cancer surgery, I have been: euphoric, ragey, terrified, exuberant, depressed, desperate to be alone, desperate to be surrounded by people, energized, fatigued, and lots of other"
A mother reports that her daughter, a breast cancer survivor, returned to drinking and binge-watching instead of maintaining prior healthy habits. The daughter drinks a glass of wine most nights, binge-watches shows on days off, and argues that surviving cancer justifies indulgence. The mother cites research linking alcohol and diet to cancer risk, notes her own dietary restrictions from high blood pressure, and says confrontations now end in fights and exclusion from the daughter's home. Survivors often experience intense, mixed emotions after treatment and may respond to survival by prioritizing pleasure, complicating family communication and caregiving concerns.
Read at Slate Magazine
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