An oncology nurse who has Stage III Rectal Adenocarcinoma wrote a touching 'sorry' letter to all her patients, highlighting she only knows what they've been through after diagnosed with stage 3 cancer herself. Lindsay Norris, 33, wrote in her letter: 'Dear every cancer patient I ever took care of, I'm sorry. I didn't get it.'
On Nov. 14, Lindsay Norris, a 33-year-old oncology nurse, and mother of two kids wrote on her blog an apology letter for her patients. In the letter, she said her idea of what it's like to survive and live with cancer had been transformed after being diagnosed with rectal cancer herself.
Norris has stage 3 rectal cancer, a tumor which occurs when cancer cells are developed in the tissues of the rectum. She is not alone. According to American Cancer Society, there are 39,220 new cases of rectal cancer in the United States for 2016. The report also noted that the cancer is expected to cause around 49,190 deaths in 2016.
In her letter, Norris has raised a compelling point: It 's hard to understand how to encourage people with cancer or find appropriate words to tell. "I didn't get what it felt like to hear the phrase," she wrote in her blogpost. She added that she has been into numerous diagnoses conversations and even had to deliver the news by herself on several occasions, however being the person the doctor is speaking to is surreal.
Experts said it's pretty tough to know what to tell to a loved one or a friend with cancer. David Klow, the owner of Chicago's Skylight Counseling Center, said to SELF that many people don't like to feel alone in the fight against cancer, that's why he said it could be helpful to let somebody know that they are not alone.
In the case of Norris, she has been relying on her husband, Camden, throughout her battle. Presently, Norris is undergoing radiation and oral chemotherapy. By January 2017, she's scheduled to go through a surgery and then followed by traditional chemotherapy for four months.
