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Chadwick Boseman accomplished so much! And yes, he accomplished so much while he was also dealing with cancer. I am deeply saddened by his passing. Nevertheless, there is a message going around that I would like to challenge, and it has to do with cancer.
In highlighting Chadwick's accomplishments, some Tweets have explicitly or implicitly suggested that Chadwick was courageous and resilient. I certainly don't deny that he was any of these things. However, cancer patients cannot be held to that standard.
Here's what I mean. Many cancer patients are unable to live life as they used to. And that doesn't make them less courageous or strong. This is the reason why I resent words like "battling, fighting, overcoming" when we talk about cancer.
Nothing about cancer is a reflection of a person's character. Nothing. There's no "right way" do be a cancer patient. When we say "battling cancer" we make everything about the patient's mindset. As if, defeating cancer requires a simple mindset shift. That's a harmful message.
We can celebrate Chadwick's life without making his accomplishments a standard against which we judge other cancer patients. Let's stop with the ableism.
