That’s
the title of an insightful and poignant article written by Emma Flixton and posted on the home
page of It’s Just Benign: http://www.itsjustbenign.org/
Here’s the first paragraph:
“The phrase ‘brain tumor’ brings panic and despair,
the word ‘benign’ intense relief. So great is this sense of relief, in fact,
that many people appear to equate the ‘benign’ status of a brain tumor with a
declaration that the condition is nothing to worry about – or even with a sort
of cure. The implication of the word ‘benign’ in many people’s view is that
they no longer have to worry about and support the sufferer. This view fails to
take into account that the symptoms which drove the sufferer to the doctor in
the first place are usually still present, despite the tumor’s ‘benign’ status,
and often still causing significant problems. Indeed, once a tumor is
classified as benign, friends and family members who have previously supported
the sufferer through their affliction may even come to think of the patient as
a malingerer, making a mountain out of a molehill, and not in need of support.
The prevailing ‘Oh, but it’s benign! You’re fine!’ attitude can be intensely
frustrating for people who have to live with these supposedly ‘innocent’ brain
tumors. Just because such tumors may not be immediately life-threatening
(although some of them do, in fact, present a significant threat to life) does
not mean that they are not life-affecting.”
To read the rest of the article go to the home page
of http://www.itsjustbenign.org/
To read the article you’ll need to become a member and pay either the $25
annual fee or a lifetime fee of $75.
In either case it’s a bargin, especially if you are
a victim or caregiver or friend/relative of either.
Image
credit: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/nobilior'>nobilior / 123RF Stock
Photo</a>
