While in London, I had an experience at the hotel I was staying at that made me think about this question. Long story short, our 5-star hotel refused me any type of spa treatment because their policy is to only treat cancer patients (er, survivors?) who have been in remission for 12+ months. When I checked in, I booked an appointment and walked over to the spa the next day. After filling out their standard health questionnaire, I was quickly told about this policy and was refused treatment. They also did this in the spa lobby, in front of other guests. I won’t share the name of the hotel on here, but here’s a picture of this beautiful but cruel hotel:
When I explained that there is no remission for my type of cancer, they were awkward and simply apologized and said they couldn’t offer me a massage or facial. It felt like I had literally been booted out of the spa. I won’t go into details about what happened after I complained to hotel management, but it got me wondering – is cancer discrimination a thing?
What other areas of my life have I felt discriminated against because I have cancer?
When people learn I’m still on long-term disability, despite being off of chemo (for now), people ask why I’m not back at work. “Don’t you want to keep busy? Aren’t you bored? It must be nice to stay home all day and get a paycheck!” Yep, people really say these things! And trust me, it’s incredibly uncomfortable.
Sorry, but brain cancer doesn’t really show outwardly (aside from some awkward haircuts and a big gash from one side of my head to the other). I’d take going back to work over having a terminal cancer any day. I’m still on long-term disability for several reasons:
- Headaches
- Constant doctor appointments
- Anxiety and stress that is out of this world
- Trouble concentrating
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Trouble with depth perception
…I could go on and on, but although I might look fine, I am not ready to go back to work yet. And my medical team agrees. It feels pretty crappy when people judge me for still being home. (Also, I’m only 2 months off of chemo!)
I’m going to keep thinking about this, but for any fellow brain cancer fighters (or cancer fighters in general, for that matter), I’m very curious to hear your thoughts on this. Please feel free to leave a comment or message me.
young and cancerous 
That’s horrible and you deserve excellent treatment. I feel labeled and minimized and that’s mostly why I blog (it’s also nice to meet other great people and vent).
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