Cancer and Disfigurement
By: Charlie Manzano
Cancer therapy doesn’t prepare you for having disfigurement. When I was 17 years old, I was diagnosed with melanoma underneath my right eye. At first, I thought it was a blemish or acne but then I found out it was something more. I had to have two rounds of reconstruction surgery in order to remove the tumor from my face. After my surgery, I was left with a “facial distortion.” It was a while before I found the word: disfigurement.
Prior to my surgeries, if I would have seen a man on the bus with a visible difference I would have been scared. After my surgeries, I began to understand what life is like with disfigurement. For the first couple of years after my facial reconstruction, the question I was asked the most was “what is wrong with your face?” I also started to notice teachers talking down to me; they thought my disfigurement affected my mental capacity.
When I discussed my disfigurement with my mom, she told me I had to be more body positive. I quickly understood, however, it is not only about my body positivity, or lack thereof, it’s about society. Society looks and treats you differently because you look differently.
Cancer spaces are all about outliving it and while that focus is important, they forget that you have all these other needs. There aren’t many resources for people like me to learn how to cope with cancer and disfigurement, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. Next April, I will be speaking at CancerCon about cancer’s permanent changes to the body, among them the impact of living with disfigurement.
I also learned about the difference that it makes to have disfigurement as a man, compared to a woman. I transitioned after my second surgery and I remember telling my plastic surgeon that I didn’t like my face. He made me feel bad for caring how my face looked. As a woman, his reaction would have been different. Men with disfigurement are not supposed to care about how they look, but we do. It also made me realize how women-focused appearance and body image initiatives are, making them in-accessible to men. Of all the intersections of my identity, having disfigurement has brought me the most shame and that shouldn’t be the case.
Comments
SAVE YOUR RELATIONSHIP ONLINE WITH A TRUSTED AND RELIABLE SPELL CASTER. Email: odungaspelltemple@gmail.com
My name is Peggy Rothchild and I am very happy to doctor Odunga for helping me get my ex husband back and this made me very excited that I came online here to post about his work. I made a promise to him that if he got my ex husband to me in 2 days, I will make a great testimony and bring many people who need help to him for help. His spiritual temple is in Africa and he has been helping so many people. He is a great spell caster and can help you no matter where you are. My husband Peter is now back with me and this spell caster brought my husband back to me in 2 days, someone who left me for 4 years now. Contact this man. He will help you and you will see. His temple Email is odungaspelltemple@gmail.com OR Whatsapp number +2348167159012
FIX THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS TO ALL ACROSS THE
GLOBE ON:
Get your ex back spell
Lottery Spell
Money spell
Pregnancy spell
Prosperity spell
Protection spell
Get a huge loan without paying any fee spell
Long life spell
Freedom From Prison spell
Love/Reunion spell
Marriage spell
Popularity spell
Killing/Revenge spell
Healing spell
Contact HIM of any of these today at:
EMAIL: odungaspelltemple@gmail.com OR Call and WHATSAPP HIM +2348167159012
شركة مكافحة حشرات بحائل وكذلك شركة كشف تسربات المياه بحائل وتنظيف خزانات وتنظيف الموكيت والسجاد والكنب والشقق والمنازل بحائل وتنظيف الخزانات بحائل وتنظيف المساجد بحائل شركة تنظيف بحائل تنظيف المسابح بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/anti-insects-company-hail.html شركة مكافحة حشرات بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/water-leaks-detection-company-hail.html شركة كشف تسربات بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-company-surfaces.html شركة عزل اسطح بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-company-sewage.html شركة تسليك مجاري بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-sofa.html شركة تنظيف كنب بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-mosques.html شركة تنظيف مساجد بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-Carpet.html شركة تنظيف سجاد بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-tanks.html شركة تنظيف خزانات بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-swimming-bath.html شركة تنظيف وصيانة مسابح بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-Furniture.html شركة تنظيف الاثاث بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-home.html شركة تنظيف شقق بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-Carpets.html شركة تنظيف موكيت بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company.html شركة تنظيف مجالس بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-house.html شركة تنظيف منازل بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-curtains.html شركة تنظيف ستائر بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-Villas.html شركة تنظيف فلل بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-company-tile.html شركة جلي بلاط بحائل