Common Misconceptions About Cancer Patients

By Racheli Alkobey

1 min read

A person's experience with blood cancer is unique to them.

In my 7 years of survivorship and working in the cancer space, I have heard about every misconception you can think of. We don't all lose our hair. We don't all look weak. We don't all have support. Keeping assumptions about cancer patients at a minimum is one of the first ways we can feel supported by our peers and those we encounter.

I hope that in the future, the way society portrays and views cancer will depict all the different ways cancer patients look and get through their diagnosis.

Please share any common misunderstandings you've encountered in the comments section!

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The Blood-Cancer.com team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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Connie Connely Contributor
I agree with your video. A young lady told me, "I guess the worst thing about cancer would be losing your hair, right?" No, the worst thing would be losing your life. However, I had long, blond hair like Hanna Montanna when I was young. So, I would have thought the same way (when I was younger). Then, I would have probably thought, Worst diet plan ever, but at least I will drop a few pounds. You are correct. The movies always show pale, weak, bald people undergoing cancer treatments. That's what people expect to see, including me, before my diagnosis.
Susan Gonsalves Moderator & Contributor
Glad to see you back. Sharing this. Agree with the misconceptions you shared. For someone who has a "chronic leukemia," that doesn't go away, I've been asked many times , "When are you going to be done with that?" Also, oral treatments are disregarded because you don't have something injected into your arm. I like to tell people they can imagine whatever is injected being swallowed instead. Keep on educating. Look forward to more videos.
Angie Netterville Moderator & Contributor
Great video! You have a gift for speaking. The part about life going back as it was before really hit home. Thanks for sharing these wise perspectives.
Ramae Hamrin Moderator & Contributor
Nice to see you again! These misconceptions are all spot on. 🎯 There certainly is no going back to before, is there? I'm glad you're giving a voice to YA cancer patients. You are very good at it!
Yolanda Brunson-Sarrabo Moderator & Contributor
Great list and the misconceptions are strong and most of the time wrong by the eyes looking in. Welcome back!
1. Sophie Gordon Community Admin
 <inline-mention username="CommunityMember16694a" user-id="6924516"/> Thank you for sharing this! Sometimes laughter really can heal. Please keep us posted on how things are progressing. Sending you positive thoughts! -Sophie, team member 
2. Yolanda Brunson-Sarrabo Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="CommunityMember16694a" user-id="6924516"/> Many friends and family are clueless as to what to say. I get it, as some don't want to offend. It can be a weird dynamic if you are open about your experience then it shouldn't lead them to act any different - but... everyone really processes the "C" word in their own way, some can't and don't adjust very well. I'm glad the friends that made you laugh succeeded at that moment. Best!
Shane.Lee Moderator
I find the misconception is really true with blood cancer in general, whether it's Lymphoma,AML, CML, and many other types of cancer that affects the blood system in our bodies. It's the vary system that keeps EVERYTHING working on our body. People seem to have a very hard time understanding or conceiving that cancer isn't just tumors in different parts of the body effected. They seem to understand cancerous tumors. Something going wrong with the blood is so much more complex. Then you get into "acute" and "chronic" type of blood cancers. That's even more complex. So, when you get down to the nitty gritty, it can get confusing for the professionals when diagnosing. So to try and explain this to a non medical person, you have to break it down in laymen's terms. And then when you do, you leave out so much info. So the think "well, that's not so bad. Your doctors should be able to clear that up in no time". Nope. Wrong. Now you have to explain in more detail. Then you lose them. Yeah. You get the picture. They just walk away not wanting to know any more. And you get ghosted. 
1. Yolanda Brunson-Sarrabo Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="Shane.Lee" user-id="3652668"/> I'll agree with you there Shane, there tends to be a lot of breaking down the semantics. I always say if you want more details you can research it. I can think of a small number that actually took some time to understand and be inquisitive. It also tells you what people think of cancer in general. Cancer for many is thought of as a death sentence, so breaking down what is a mass/tumor from bone marrow and so forth is a lot to process. I always say it's like "Prego it's in there".
Ann Harper Moderator & Contributor
I'm so glad you're back. I love your videos. They are always uplifting and spot-on. One misconception is that we will either be cured or die. There is no cure for my cancer at present and so I will probably live with it for the rest of my life. However, I doubt I will die from it and either way, I have a lot of years to go before death occurs, no matter the cause (at least I hope so) Thanks for sharing. Ann (Blood-Cancer.com Team member)