Not My Story To Tell

One important issue when you have cancer or anything else 'yucky' is that well meaning friends and relatives often take it upon themselves to retell your story, with embellishments, to others. Its not their story to tell.

As the patient, you have the right to decide who to tell, what to tell, and when to tell about your ailment. This is one of the big reasons I have a blog. I get to funnel the information and tell what I want after I have a chance to digest it, when I want to tell it.

You might have noticed I do not write about other's health challenges. I might mention someone but I don't tell their story. Its not my story to tell. Its theirs.

This is an important point to remember. You are not entitled to retell all the details of someone else's medical misadventure. Its okay to tell people that someone is coping with their ailment. If the patient has consented, you can tell others how they are doing. But you don't get to tell the blow by blow story of it. And even if they have consented, you are not their PR agent spilling all.

Patient, Yuckyailment, is the one who gets to decide who gets told what amount of information. Being sick is a private matter. So get your nose out of it.