After ten years of working against domestic violence, I was fairly sure I “got it.” Then something really crazy happened to me: doctors found a gigantic tumor in my six-month-old baby daughter’s head.
It was a rare, aggressive cancer. She went through brain surgery, intense chemotherapy and radiation. We spent six months in the hospital and even traveled across the country to get what she needed.
We referred to the whole ordeal as the “BBC” (Baby with Brain Cancer), believing that something as ridiculous as childhood cancer deserved a ridiculous nickname.
When I came back to work, I began to see the experiences of abused people in a new light and saw many parallels to my experience:
| When your intimate partner is abusing you: |
And/Or |
When your child is diagnosed with cancer: |
- It is unexpected, devastating and totally inconsistent with your dreams and desires
- You have to make some tough decisions when all of your options are pretty crappy
- You need your family, friends and community more than ever
- It’s hard to concentrate on anything else when lives are on the line
- In shelters and hospitals: sharing space with strangers and dealing with institutional rules is a drag
- Money makes a huge difference
I did notice one key difference: Our family got oodles of sympathy and tangible support, and virtually no one questioned our choices. But what I have seen in my work is that many survivors of abuse get the opposite reaction. The experiences are similar; the stakes are equally high, but the response tends to be a lot less supportive. Why is that?
P.S. My daughter is currently showing no evidence of disease. But just like survivors of abuse, the fear of what might happen still lingers.
Can You Relate? 