Shame/blame feelings of cancer diagnosis

Feeling guilty? This might help.

“What Sparks Cancer
The Sheer Volume of Division:
The human body contains trillions of cells that constantly divide to replace old or damaged tissue. Every single time a cell divides, it must copy its entire DNA blueprint—roughly 3 billion base pairs.
Inevitable Mistakes:
Despite our cellular machinery being highly efficient at proofreading and fixing mistakes, it is not flawless. On average, a few entirely random, unprovoked mutations occur every single time a normal cell divides.
The Perfect Storm:
Cancer generally does not happen from just one error. It requires a sequential buildup of multiple critical mutations over time. If random copying errors happen to repeatedly strike the specific genes regulating cell growth and cell death (like tumor suppressors), the cell can begin dividing uncontrollably.

Groundbreaking research published by geneticists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center analyzed various cancer types to trace the origin of their mutations. They concluded that nearly two-thirds (66%) of all cancer-driving mutations are the result of these unavoidable, random DNA copying errors.

This biological reality explains why individuals who live exceptionally healthy lifestyles—eating a balanced diet, avoiding tobacco, shielding themselves from UV rays, and possessing zero family history of the disease—can still unfortunately develop cancer. It is a fundamental consequence of being a complex, living organism made of dividing cells.”

Thank You. This should be a handout from every oncology office, to the newly diagnosed patient. Rather than what often happens, when they say nah, not your fault = but here’s a list of everything that you need to start or stop doing. Putting patients on a healthier path is good, but there needs to be more said to us about why and how our cells betrayed us in spite of our previous efforts to be healthy.