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My Cousin Blamed My Cancer on My Lifestyle
Why we need to think twice before telling others how to live.
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“I think you drank too much. If you had stopped drinking a long time ago, you never would have gotten cancer.”
I looked across the kitchen table and into the unwavering eyes of my cousin. It was the first time I had seen her in 5 years, and somehow my cancer diagnosis had popped up as a topic for discussion.
“Alcohol is technically a poison. What did you think was going to happen?”
And with that, she began a 30-minute diatribe on how I could reverse the health situation that I had apparently brought on myself. From regular exercise and proper sleep to a secret recipe for a green juice that would have prevented all this from happening in the first place.
The fact that the situation is not reversible did not deter her in the least. Apparently, all I needed was a little exercise, a good night’s sleep, and the right green juice. Who knew cancer could be so easily explained?
There is a whole lot of advice floating around out there these days. My cousin is not alone.
Almost everyone has become a self-professed expert at something, and they are usually not too…
