Ask a Survivor

Patrick Koske-McBride
Nov 2 · 3 min read

Far and away, the most common question I see on various corners of the Internet pertaining to brain cancer patients is, “Is it common for survivors to be this sleepy/lethargic/tired/whatever? Should I be worried?”

In answer to the question, “Should I be worried?

Fuck yes. This person has brain cancer. When you are diagnosed with a chronic, incurable disease that’s usually fatal, that is the time to worry. That’s an asinine question. If you get tuberculosis, you should worry, and that’s curable (mostly; multi-drug resistant tuberculosis might not be). You can’t panic — ever…

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Patrick Koske-McBride

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Science journalist, cancer survivor, biomedical consultant, the “Wednesday Addams of travel writers.”

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