A renowned oncologist kept her breast cancer secret from everyone. Why? How? After six years, a bleeding episode at home forced her to reveal her illness to her husband, also an oncologist. Together, they protected her secret for another four years. Again, I ask: Why? How did they pull it off as the tumor grew to the size of a football?
In an Oncology Times piece, The Bizarre Story of Dr. Weeks, I discussed Barrett Rollins’ page-turner as a teaching case about patients who keep secrets.
The cautionary tales are that many people—including healthcare professionals—harbor fears (of tests, treatment, disrupting work or school, upsetting loved ones, or financial ruin) that lead them to ignore, deny, or hide symptoms, if only for a while. And that well-educated people can miss obvious signs of disease in loved ones.
For readers not in the medical field, Rollins’ memoir highlights the price of secrets paid by patients and their loved ones.
After Weeks' [hospital] discharge, Rollins finally gets her settled in bed at home. …Overwhelmed by his changed world, he laments that “because Jane chose secrecy and silence, she gave us no opportunity to plan together, to anticipate untoward events, to be ready for the illness we were now facing and the burden of her debility.” It's a convincing argument to share with patients who believe hiding their illness will protect their loved ones.
Beware secrets that block the path to Healthy Survivorship.
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