Panic! At The Supermarket

Having a panic attack was not on my to-do list today at the grocery store

The public is one of the worst places to have a panic attack

I am a cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with a type of blood cancer (Hodgkin’s Lymphoma) at age 24 and deemed in remission at age 25. I am 27 at the time of writing this article, and still experiencing PTSD-related flashbacks with it. A huge trigger for this PTSD is hearing graphic descriptions of cancer and/or treatment-related procedures (how a person is handling it, how it’s affecting their body, etc.).

It is breast cancer awareness month (October). People need to realize that cancer is Hell. It is not “buy this cute bumper sticker or shirt.” A lot of people (just browse the “Cancer” Reddit community) have PTSD or panic disorder-type symptoms post-cancer treatment. Sometimes people have it for only a handful of months. Sometimes the symptoms last for many years.

As a cancer survivor, I am begging people to not talk loudly about cancer treatments, symptoms, and how it’s affecting them in public spaces. I don’t care if you text about it or talk about it where a stranger can’t happen to overhear parts of your conversations. But in the supermarket? It’s so easy to hear just by passing by how someone is doing terribly with cancer treatments.