I joined the support group facilitation team last year and will be continuing this year as facilitator for the Young Adult Cancer Support Group. Working with Cancer Lifeline in this capacity felt like a natural extension of the work I feel so passionate about, in terms of providing safe and brave spaces to those living with cancer, to process their experiences living with chronic and/or terminal illnesses, while also navigating the big, small, and mundane parts of their lives. I am also deeply dedicated to increasing the quality of care provided to minoritized communities, including immigrant communities, working-class people, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ patients and feel that it is important for people with intersectional identities to have access to providers who are not only familiar with their experiences, but also share understanding of their experiences on a personal level.
As a queer, non-binary mental health provider with other minoritized identities, I am acutely aware of the disparities in the healthcare system that impacts the LGBTQIA+ community. June being pride month, I want to take the opportunity to highlight the barriers to medical care and lack of support for LGBTQIA+ patients and how that translates to those living with cancer.
A quick Google search will lead to a number of research findings that place LGBTQIA+ people at higher risk of certain health conditions, including cardiovascular conditions; we also have less access to health care, and worse health outcomes compared to our cis-gendered and heterosexual counterparts. These disparities are seen in the areas of behavioral health, physical health, and access to care.
The National LGBT Cancer Network writes that these disparities point to a likely disproportionate cancer burden among LGBTQ people and yet, “none of the large national cancer registries and surveys of cancer incidence collect data about sexual orientation or gender identity, leaving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender cancer survivors embedded and invisible among the vast wealth of information these surveys provide to other groups. Other ethnic, geographic, and racial populations are able to use the data gleaned from these statistics to develop prevention and treatment programs dedicated to eroding the health disparities they face; they know precisely how prevalent cancer is in their communities. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people do not.” The Network also shares how these health disparities impact the community when it comes to seeking and accessing medical care, with many LGBTQIA+ people experiencing discrimination, neglect, or outright denial of care within healthcare systems due to their gender or sexual identities.
Generally, in my experience providing mental health care to cancer patients and caregivers, people are often primarily concerned about accessing financial support to meet their most basic needs (lodging, nutrition, etc), followed closely by a desire to feel seen by their health care providers as full humans whose lives are much bigger than their disease. This, I imagine, is no different from the experiences of many LGBTQIA+ people living with cancer. To be seen, respected, understood, affirmed, reassured by the providers caring for you is not an absurd expectation, and yet so many LGBTQIA+ people feel disempowered, disadvantaged, and invisible when seeking healthcare today. As providers, may we feel an obligation to provide the best care to our patients, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds, their gender or sexual identities, etc. and may we be mindful of the ways our own biases dictate our care and may we actively work to unlearn the biases within each of us.
Living with physical or mental health conditions can be difficult, especially if it comes with the fears, stigmas, and difficulties usually associated with chronic, terminal, or difficult illnesses, such as cancer. Not to mention how living with cancer impacts those who are at the intersection of many other marginalized identities, for whom living with cancer may add to the social obstacles they face. For me, it is always fulfilling to witness people’s trajectories as they move through the spectrum of their health journeys, from diagnosis to treatment to recovery and so on. I deeply appreciate working with people to figure out how to make space for the depth and breadth of their emotions as they navigate life with cancer, whether after a new diagnosis, or unfortunate recurrence, or through years of steady treatment regimens. I feel especially moved by the wisdom, resilience, vulnerability, and determination that people demonstrate during our work together. Some of the best parts of my work is being able to listen to the stories and reflections people share about their lives while empowering them to continue creating experiences and stories that help them best navigate their current experiences living with cancer.
Cancer Lifeline welcomes people of all nationalities and cultures to our programming and take no political positions.
Diversity is highly valued at Cancer Lifeline and we welcome all people whatever their age, race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation or genetic information.