Bravado and Denial Are Not the Same
I spoke to Grandma. I asked how her appointment went. She is feeling quite indignant that her doctor wants to keep her on oxygen. When I suggested it wasn’t too bad she said how is it not bad if I am to stay on oxygen! I said it’s better than being hospitalized.
Her friend E had told me, “She thinks she’s going to beat this thing.”
I had thought that was bravado. But now I think it is denial. Apparently, she’s taking the fact that she has terminal cancer so much better than I am because she really doesn’t believe it.
Grandma lives on planet optimism. She has seen nearly every member of her family die of cancer, including two of her children. And she has been battling it herself for at least ten years. No other person could have such a sunny outlook as she does.
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