Stages of Grief by Cancer Patients: Stage 1

So, let me start this article by telling you what will this be all about. For now, I want to share with everyone an article that tackles about the feelings and emotions the cancer patients or survivor has been feeling. I wanted to share with everyone how they feel and how they cope up with this disease, how they live with it, and also how they try to convince themselves in thinking to positivity of things. I am not a cancer patient nor a survivor. I just somehow read this article somewhere and it really had an impact to me. It is inspirational and it is like opening up our understanding with this kind of social issue in life where we should hear someone’s story of their struggles and how they made through it.

This article is eventually a story of Dianne Sibal who struggled from a cancer. And I am here to sare it with you. At first, she never expected it to be cancer. She was very honest that she didn’t drink, smoke, and she is really living a healthy lifestyle. Until she was diagnosed. She already heard people who went through the grieving stage after knowing the disease they have. It was like she is not ready for it yet. She is still not ready for the rollercoaster ride she will be in for. She is still not ready for the next months of struggling with cancer. Because of this, she was inspired to write and share her journey through explaining the different stages of grief of cancer patients or those who have serious illness. She particularly shared her own battle. She shared her story by stages – and there are five stages.

Stage 1: In Denial Stage

Plenty of women, for her, found lumps in their breasts. Her story starter when a doctor seemed to be concern with what she saw in her annual physical exam. She asked if she was not aware of it. Dianne answered no, and promised to be more aware of it the next time. But, she didn’t really care for it and just brushed it off her mind. She thought it was nothing. She consulted an OB for more opinion, and also a surgeon. They said the same things and that it needs to be taken out. It is for her and her peace of mind too, they said. She thought, once again, that it was nothing serious. That she can just take a few days leave and have it taken out. Simple as that. After the removal procedure, she even sneaked out with her best friend to a shopping trip. She bought shoes and planned where she could use them after she fully recovered. She then had a phone call from her surgeon that she needs a follow-up, and she cheerfully said yes. This is where her life changed.

She went to the hospital with her Mom. She thought it was just a usual follow-up check-up, but her and her mom were worried by knowing that she needs to undergo mastectomy. She glanced at her Mom who seemed to be more worried as she was taking notes on what the surgeon is saying about possible treatments. She then thought that at least it was her, not her Mom or not and not any of the closest people to her. At least, she is younger and she can fight it.

After hearing what the doctor said, there are too many questions in her mind. And the most scary question she ever thought about is if she could die because of it. They walked out the surgeon's office without any single thing the doctor said registered, aside from she has a cancer part. She removed all the negative thought coming in her mind, and tried to gather up his energy to think that she could beat it and that she will beat it. She just talked to her Mom without showing her how broke she was inside. She talked like nothing will happen. She didn't want to let her Mom see her weak and fall apart. She can't bare the sight of hurting her Mom just because she is falling apart. She didn't cry for her Mom's sake. And she did it the best. She then texted her best friend, Paula, who was out of the country at that moment. She told her the news and asked her to be chill just like how she wanted it to be talked about. She knew that it will take a lot for her friend to take it and that she will actually accept it emotionally so she asked her to be chill anyway. She just texted her, and she received a reply of "Okay, what's next?".

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References for free images used:

https://pixabay.com/illustrations/october-pink-breast-cancer-1714664/

https://pixabay.com/photos/cavitacion-lipolaser-cosmeatria-2894835/

https://pixabay.com/photos/cancer-newspaper-word-magnifier-389921/

https://pixabay.com/photos/surgery-hospital-doctor-care-1807541/

https://pixabay.com/photos/doctor-medical-medicine-health-563429/

https://pixabay.com/photos/woman-blow-blowing-nose-hand-chief-698964/

https://pixabay.com/vectors/blood-pressure-ekg-health-heart-3312513/

https://pixabay.com/vectors/quill-pen-write-author-ink-175980/

https://pixabay.com/vectors/woman-thinking-sitting-desk-41201/

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Thank you so much for having time reading my article and I hope you at least learned something from it. If you have some suggestions, comments, or opinion about my article, you can freely write it below in the comment section.

Composed/Written by: @charmingcherry08