Since this has become the most viewed thread on the forum, I guess it has struck a responsive chord with OCF. Now many of us have complained about the insensitive remarks that other make, while others have risen to their defense. As a Libra, I have to balance out my sarcasm and disdain for the dolts with the understanding set forth in this excerpt from today's Washington Post relationship columnist: I love the phrase:
"DUHSTRUCK"
[quote]I'd say your boyfriend was dumbstruck by your news, but instead of "made speechless by shock," we really need, "rendered moronic by shock." Duhstruck.

Is this normal? Sure. Most people struggle to form the right responses to "I have cancer," and some take the extra step of blurting out the wrong ones. His fumbles are even less surprising when you factor in both his social awkwardness and his abrupt emotional promotion: Yesterday, "Thai or Chinese?"; today, "How can I support you as you fight for your life [even though I have yet to determine how I feel about you]?"

His isn't the only predictable reaction. You, too, are responding to your cancer in a normal way. Life-and-death news is a tornado that picks up your life, shakes it and drops it on a hill a few hundred feet away. Things you thought would break are intact, things you thought were permanent are shattered, and the light hits virtually everything in a new and surprising way. [/quote][quote][/quote]

For those who want to read the whole thing, question and answer in context, here is the link
Cancer or Boyfriend?