Woman, 53, Recalls Family ‘Ghosting’ Her After Cancer Diagnosis, Being Alone During Treatment: ‘Punch to the Gut’

One cancer survivor describes the loneliness she felt after two close family members saw her as a ghost after learning of her breast cancer diagnosis.

Ashley Levinson of New Jersey was diagnosed with stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma last summer. After starting chemotherapy in August 2023 and undergoing a double mastectomy in January 2024, she is now in the final stages of her treatment journey.

“I can say a little over a year later that I am now cancer free,” she told ABC News.

However, Levinson, 53, explained that her happy state of health was bittersweet – she always assumed she would celebrate the news with her closest relatives. It had been more than a year since she had spoken to them because they ended the relationship after learning of her diagnosis.

“They both admitted I had cancer, but that was all,” she explained. “It was a real kick in the gut when the people I thought were my key people weren’t there for me.”

Levinson was on the receiving end of what experts call “cancer ghosting,” a surprisingly common experience among patients. The term describes when friends, family or loved ones of people with cancer either stop communicating with them or become distant and have poor communication.

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Ashley Levinson surrounded by other people who supported her during breast cancer.

Ashley Levinson @PCOSgurl

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dr. Monique James, a New York-based psychiatrist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, told the outlet that cancer ghosts add to the sense of loneliness that patients often feel after a diagnosis.

As for why people would do this to their friends or family members, James explained that it’s often in response to their past experiences with someone who had cancer. It can be a self-protective mechanism because they are afraid of the future. But, she says, it’s painful for a person going through cancer right now.

For people who are tempted to see a loved one with cancer, James recommends that they try to focus on the present, listen to those who have been diagnosed and let them know that you are there for them in some way.

Levinson told ABC that having that kind of support from her loved ones would have made a huge difference throughout her breast cancer treatment.

“Maybe they felt it would go away if they ignored it. But as we all know, cancer doesn’t go away by itself and it really takes a small army,” she said. “There are days when you feel like you can’t do more, and sometimes reaching out to that person or hearing a kind word gives you the opportunity to take that step you need.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education

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