Imagine This Scenario
Taylor runs into her friend Jamie at the grocery store. They chat for a moment and Taylor decides to share some hard news. She has thyroid cancer. Even now, after telling her family members and closest friends, saying the words aloud feels strange and a bit scary. Jamie pauses. “But that’s the good cancer, right?”
While Jamie may be trying to project optimism—and may be aware that many cases of thyroid cancer are treatable—that phrase, “the good cancer,” is often unhelpful. Instead of reassuring people with thyroid cancer, it can serve to minimize or invalidate their experiences. To Taylor and others with the same health concerns, it implies that their complaints or struggles are unwarranted.
However, the opposite is true. Anyone who has a cancer diagnosis, regardless of the location or prognosis, faces emotional and physical challenges. Affirmation from others is not just a comfort, it also significantly benefits a person’s mental health.
From the perspective of one patient who had thyroid cancer as a teen and later developed an unrelated aggressive brain tumor, the first diagnosis was no easier to swallow. Each treatment journey came with its own psychological and physical challenges. Each came with unique opportunities for gratitude. And each full recovery brought relief.
Unfortunately, there is no “good” kind of cancer. But there are good kinds of support. So let’s permanently pack up that phrase, “the good cancer.” Let’s express our empathy and provide affirmation to the people we love in meaningful ways.
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