Welcome To Cancerland Summary

A cancer diagnosis isan increasingly common event and affects nearly everyone, whether directly or indirectly. The prognosis and treatment process is not the same for any two individuals. That being said, breast cancer patients are often throwninto a culture of identifying as a “fighter”or a “warrior”duringtheir treatment and are deemed “survivors”once in remission. While this may provide a sense of community for many people,I think there are negative consequences to thisbreast cancer culture. With reference to Barbara Ehrenreich’s “Welcome to Cancerland,”I will explore the loss of personal identity and forced optimism placed on breast cancer patients due to breast cancer culture.In “Welcome to Cancerland,”Ehrenreich describesher personal experience …show more content…
She recalls sentiments from other patients claiming that cancer had made them a better person and was a rewarding experience. Ehrenreich further explains how she was even chastised by fellow breast cancer patients online for being negative and was told to enjoy life to thefullest and to get counselling. She argues that this “warrior”culture among patients discourages independent thinkingand dealing with potential negative emotions. In my opinion, Ehrenreich is brave to portray the side of breast cancer we rarely see: the anger, the resentment, and the confusion. I agree with her that those diagnosed with cancer are almost immediately defined by their diagnosis and lose a part of their personal identity.The strong emphasis on being a “survivor”also raises questions surrounding those who die at the hand of breast cancer. Ehrenreich objects to this notion of survivor by questioning, “did we who live ‘fight’harder than those who’ve died?”(53). The obvious answer is no,but emphasizing survivorhood so strongly devalues those who have