When my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer in December 2013 at the age of 83, I initially figured that she would “fight” it valiantly.
After all, this was a woman who had already “beaten” cancer twice before — to say nothing of how fervently she looked after my family, including my grandfather, who is wheelchair-bound. But after one round of chemotherapy, my grandmother decided to forego treatment and eventually entered hospice care. When she died about five months later, I struggled with her decision not to continue receiving chemo after that first round. A selfish part of me privately felt like she had given up and “let cancer win.”
I wasn’t alone in how I thought about cancer. When it comes to discussing this disease, many people use words like “battle,” “fight,” “survive” and “beat” — language that would not be out of place when describing a war zone.
Such terminology was on full display last summer after former presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, revealed he had been diagnosed with a primary glioblastoma, the same aggressive form of brain cancer that took former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Beau and Sen. Edward Kennedy, a Democrat from Massachusetts. On Friday, McCain’s family announced that he would discontinue medical treatment for the cancer.
At the time of McCain’s diagnosis, supportive tweets and statements from politicians and other dignitaries referenced this idea of cancer as a war or fight to be won, while also acknowledging McCain’s stellar career and the service he has given to this country. House Speaker Paul Ryan referred to McCain as a “warrior.” Others, including former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Barack Obama, referenced McCain’s service to the country, including his experience as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War.
John McCain is an American hero & one of the bravest fighters I've ever known. Cancer doesn't know what it's up against. Give it hell, John.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 20, 2017.@SenJohnMcCain is a hero, a patriot and a fighter. I am privileged to call him a friend. Paul & I pray for his recovery and his family.
— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) July 20, 2017
