I can’t understand why people use this one word when discussing cancer
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I don’t know if it’s a cultural thing, but as life limiting illnesses go, cancer seems to be unique. It engenders fear into many, some people not even able to call it by name, preferring euphemisms like ‘the big C’. It inspires anger, and even aggression, and is seen as the enemy.
![[Annie Bennett (Credit Vicki Head)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235929272-8734-e1736861963235.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
I was diagnosed with breast cancer in June this year and in July I was told it had spread to my bones, and is incurable. I was shocked, but, surprisingly, not distressed. Since finding out, I have been very open with my family and friends about my diagnosis – instead of worrying about how they would react, I gave them updates throughout my journey.
![[Annie Bennett 5 (Credit AKP Branding)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235929261-f8cb.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
They were all very supportive, and no one seemed really surprised at my upbeat reaction to my diagnosis; because, well, I’m a very upbeat and positive person. I have received lots of amazing support, including messages saying I’ll ‘kick cancer’s butt’ and ‘f**k you cancer’. I send everyone who sends these messages my thanks, but it always leaves me puzzled: Why does cancer uniquely garner that reaction in people?.
![[Annie Bennett 5 (Credit AKP Branding)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235929169-2383.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
I find myself wondering why cancer causes these often extreme reactions, and other incurable diseases such as MND, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s, don’t. I understand that everyone who has a cancer diagnosis will deal with it in their own way, and many will do so very differently to how I handle it, but I am finding this constant aggression towards it exhausting.
![[Annie Bennett (Credit Vicki Head)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235929256-b8cc.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
