Andrea Mitchell has announced publicly that she has breast cancer. She was kind of flippant about the whole thing, which you can read more about here. The dismissive nature of her message was very odd to me. I certainly hope she's not in some kind of denial about the routine nature of breast cancer (1 in 8 women get it, according to what she said, and then went on to make it sound instantly curable). I think it's dismissive of the pain that women feel when they go through this disease and can make it a more lonely feeling.
I feel very strongly that the conversation on health in this country is so backward. We attach ourselves so closely to outcomes that we can't have the requisite compassion for people. Yes, breast cancer is very curable, but that curative process is very difficult both physically and emotionally. I wish more people recognized that about all illnesses, not just breast cancer.
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