When you have cancer treatment should you also get a bit of the ‘red carpet treatment’ too?
Cancer is a tough experience so anything that can make it more bearable is welcome.
It’s nice to feel ‘special’ regardless of your health status but when you have a serious illness then a bit of special goes a long way.
Everyone likes the feeling of being treated well especially when you are actually unwell.
Every corridor that leads into a treatment ward should have a red carpet for you to walk down. You are, at this stage in your life, a VIP and so deserve special care and attention.
If they can put a strip of red carpet down for celebrities and dignitaries attending special events like movie premiers, galas and award ceremonies, they can jolly well put one down for us too.
Treatment is not a glitzy Hollywood occasion but it is hugely important and so are we.
Traditionally, kings, queens and emperors have walked along red carpets to their coronations and the red carpet is essential protocol when heads of state arrive in foreign countries for official visits.
Clearly this isn’t going to happen but that doesn’t mean we can’t be the recipients of some red carpet treatment.
Cancer patients deserve a right royal welcome because having cancer and having treatment is certainly not the easiest thing to deal with. You are vulnerable and scared quite a bit of the time especially in a hospital environment which can be confusing, challenging and fear-provoking.
I don’t mean that we expect elaborate hospitality, ceremony, or fanfare but we do deserve recognition what it is we are going through and what that might mean, especially for those of us with an incurable diagnosis.
The red carpet treatment boils down to being treated with respect, dignity and someone going the extra mile for us. You want to feel safe, secure, cared for and treated as an individual.
Why? This is a quality of life issue.
Cancer patients are important and amid all the chaos that goes with cancer, being treated well really matters.
Getting high quality treatment for cancer should also extend to getting high quality care and many professionals do this as a matter of pride.
There are some things that can be done to make us all feel like we are the MVP (Most Valuable Patient) and it comes down to those little personal touches of humanity that can be sadly lacking in busy clinics. Every word counts and can be the difference between sunshine and rain.
Improving the patient experience is paramount which is why making an emotional connections makes us feel understood, cared for and secure.
Going the extra mile makes a world of difference to those of us living with cancer but let us not forget those who care for us. They deserve the VIP treatment too.
The need to feel valued and special is a basic human need. We all need it.
Thank you John for this.
Your Twitter posts are amazing and inspirational for someone whom not only had their own cancer journey but, is now going through that with my sister. I’m definitely going to be rolling out the red carpet for her! Keep smiling – you are the best ‘treatment’ for us all. Blessings.
Yes, roll out the red carpet at least once a week for her! Thank you for your kind words.
You really are a remarkable human being John – taking a sentence and turning it on its head to help others. Erudite , talented , precise in thought and mind – most importantly, having a desire to share .
I’ve always walked abit – since seeing your posts on X I’ve been put to shame – you’re out there every day!
Yesterday I walked and I watched the clouds running away at speed . I can’t describe that , but i know you’ve seen it too .
I thank you – I can truly say that I stopped and , with you in.mind , looked up and took stock .Not a bad thing really.
Keep up your remarkable work 👏
Thank you so much for your lovely words Andrew. Nothing can match the power of the natural world and best of all it’s free!