Is the reason I got cancer because of fate, punishment…or is it just part of the human experience?
How people receive a cancer diagnosis is variable. Their reactions can range from anxiety, fear, and depression to feelings of guilt. They may feel cancer is a punishment for past actions or failure to practice a healthy lifestyle. This week we dive into these emotional reactions, including the perspective that Dr. Jeanna Ford brings from her work with indigenous communities.
In this Episode:
- 01:50 – Celebration of our 250th Podcast!
- 02:35 – Recipe of the Week: Cincinnati Chili
- 03:57 – How Did Valentine’s Day Start?
- 06:41 – Why Do I Have Cancer? Views
- 07:07 – Is Cancer Just Kismet – or Fate?
- 08:18 – Some View Cancer as a Gift
- 09:23 – Cancer Viewed as Punishment or Bad Karma
- 11:58 – How Shame and Stigma Affect Us
- 15:13 – Dr. Jeanna Ford: Self-Blame for Cancer Common in Indigenous Communities and for Veterans
- 29:44 – Outro
Our Guest: Dr. Jeanna Ford DNP, APRN, ACNS-BC, ACHPN, FPCN, FCNS
Dr. Jeanna Ford is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in the field of palliative care and hospice. Dr. Ford is a national speaker, published author, and focuses her clinical expertise in the area of cultural sensitivity at the end of life with an emphasis on indigenous populations. She currently works as the Clinic Director and APRN for the University of New Mexico Hospital’s outpatient palliative care program as well as serves as faculty for the Center to Advance Palliative Care and for the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association.
Dr. Ford shares some of her clinical experiences with her patients, such as their cultural views on illness. She also shared how people such as veterans many have self-blame; for example, thinking the cancer is a punishment for something they did in the Vietnam war. Learn how Dr. Ford helps them through these feelings.
Untangling Guilt and Shame
In our last episode, we talked about how although unhealthy behaviors can contribute to cancer, it’s still a combination of our environment and biology. Smoking can cause cancer for some people, while others with the same behavior do not get cancer.
While we may have guilt for bad behaviors, we shouldn’t feel shame. Guilt is feeling bad about a behavior, while shame is internalizing it to the point to say “I’m a bad person” because I did this.
Adding feelings of guilt, shame, or embarrassment on top of other painful emotions, like sadness and anxiety, only intensifies feelings that come with receiving a cancer diagnosis.
“Sickness and death are part of the human experience, and humans want to find meaning in life. We want to understand how something happens so we feel as though we have some control. Please remember that cancer can happen to anyone. It’s an illness, not a failing.”
– Marianne Matzo, S5E46
Related Content:
- S5E45: Why Does Cancer Exist? Empower Yourself With Understanding
- S4E21: Don’t Call it a Battle: Why We Need to Change our Metaphors for Serious Illness
- S1E15: What people with serious illness want (Part 2)
In S1E15: What people with serious illness want (Part 2), our special guest Rochele Converse talks about her experiences as a patient. Rochele has courageously battled not just one cancer, but TWO! Listen to her inspiring story of her wonderful attitude through it all and support she received from others.
References:
- Can doctor Peter Goldsworthy avoid the mind games that follow a cancer diagnosis?
- Vocabulary.com. (n.d.). Kismet. In Vocabulary.com Dictionary. Retrieved January 24, 2025, from https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/kismet
- Can coincidences be explained by science? – BBC Science Focus Magazine
- Coping with Shame Related to Cancer | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- My cancer diagnosis was seen as ‘bad karma’ | SBS Voices
- Cultural beliefs and values in cancer patients – Annals of Oncology
- Hamilton, J. Cultural Beliefs and Cancer Care: Are We Doing Everything We Can?. Cancer Nursing 40(1) 84-85, 1/2 2017. | DOI: 10.1097/NCC.0000000000000421 Cancer Nursing
- The backstory of Valentine’s Day | The Journal of the San Juan IslandsValentine’s Day has dark origins. Here’s how it started : NPR
Resources:
- Cancer Types | This Is Living With Cancer | Official Site
- Cancer Resources – Chemocare
- Cancer Information & Resources | Understand Cancer Together®
- Who We Are – Stupid Cancer
- Cancer Guide: 2023 PRCG Summer.indd
- The Cancer Finishing School: Lessons in Laughter, Love and Resilience: Peter Goldsworthy. Available here: https://a.co/d/8KlJcRK
Recipe of the Week:
What began as a Skyline Chili – a hot dog topping invented by a Greek immigrant – morphed into a Midwest staple. Cincinnati chili is set apart by the warming spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves, and a touch of cocoa powder for depth. Mix up your dinner routine with this flavorful alternative! You can get the recipe at The Recipe Critic.
https://blog.feedspot.com/palliative_care_podcasts/
Everyone Dies: and yes, it is normal!
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