Empathy

My uncle needed a portable oxygen concentrator (POC) for his severe lung disease. So I brought him one when last I flew home.

The looks I got were sadly eye opening.

Walking to the gate and boarding felt like the proverbial “walk of shame.” There were looks of concern, of pity, of shock, even of fear. And the looks were palpable.

I experienced what so many oxygen dependent patients complain about. 

The looks. 

Even though the POC wasn’t for me, the looks made me uncomfortable. These looks are partly what prevent people on oxygen from going out in public. It’s not surprising the rate of depression in this population is over 50%. I’d be depressed too if I got these same looks every time I went out.

This experience reminded me of what many lung cancer patients complain about. Immediately after someone hears a person has lung cancer, they are asked “did you smoke?” As if their smoking habit is their fault; its not, please read my blog post on this.

Smoking is a risk factor for every cancer in addition to heart disease and strokes. Just like we wouldn’t immediately ask a patient recovering from breast cancer, coronary artery disease or a stroke if they smoked in casual conversation, we shouldn’t ask the lung cancer patient if they smoked.

Why make someone feel bad when they are staring down the number one cancer related killer of us all? Cause don’t we all wonder why the world won’t be nicer to us when we’re having a bad day?

Be that nicer someone to people suffering from lung cancer. Don’t ask them if they smoked. And we shouldn’t stare at the person who needs oxygen.

‘Cause No One Deserves Lung Cancer.