For example, if you want to stay in good terms with me, you probably don't want to tell MY MOTHER the following things, especially if you're related to my Dad:
1. "You should let him smoke. I mean, it's all he's got left."
Yes, my Dad still smokes. Apparently less than before, never in the house, but he does. I'm not proud of him and I do intend on talking to him about it as I've read it counters the efficiency of the chemotherapy. But for God's sake, it's not all he's got left. Of course, taking into account he apparently has a heartless and cruel family, he can't rely on many people to cheer him up, but damn it - at that rate, everybody should get checked for cancer before quitting smoking, because otherwise, in some people's view, it's not worth it.
2. "Your husband, well, he's done."
Yes, he is. He's going to die. Except that we don't know when, and he's feeling pretty good at the moment. A situation that strangely resembles, let me think - EVERY FREAKING BODY ELSE'S! Everybody's going to die, some faster than others. Maybe the chemo will help, maybe it won't. But people are not dying or living, they're alive or they're dead. And last time I checked, he wasn't dead, thank you very much.
3. "Yes, physiotherapy... is it really worth it?"
My Dad had a hip replacement. Metastases had damaged his right hip to the point it was on the verge of breaking. He's been doing physio for a month now, and he's made a lot of progress. He still needs a walking stick or crutches but eventually, he won't need the crutches anymore. So what, people with cancer should not be able to, um, I don't know, put on their own shoes, take a bath on their own or just remain standing up for a while without getting tired? Is it me or is all of this enough of an ordeal as it is that there's no need to make it worse?
For God's FREAKING sake.
