Cancer is a harrowing, horrible disease that affects millions of people around the globe every year. However, many types of cancer are treatable and if you catch them early enough and undergo treatment, you have a good chance of winning the fight. You’ll always remember those people who had your back when you were sick. However, far from everyone is kind to cancer survivors. Some kids can be particularly nasty bullies.

Redditor u/Flaky-Number-3617, a gay man who beat cancer 6 years ago, recently went viral online after asking the AITA community for advice on a sensitive matter. The man explained how his best friend, who had his back through chemotherapy, wanted to invite her homophobic boyfriend to his annual celebratory dinner. This, of course, didn’t sit right by him.

Read on for the full story. Bored Panda has reached out to the author, and we’ll update the article as soon as we hear back from him.

Beating cancer is a major victory that deserves to be celebrated. It’s only natural to invite the people who supported you throughout your illness

Image credits: Andrew Neel/Pexels (not the actual photo)

A cancer survivor asked the internet for advice after getting into an argument with his best friend over her homophobic boyfriend

Image credits: Timur Weber/Pexels (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Timur Weber

A fifth of people are likely to develop cancer in their lives

Image credits: cottonbro studio/Pexels (not the actual photo)

Cancer—in all of its forms—is rampant globally. Your survival will depend on a lot of different factors, from the type of cancer you have and the treatments available in your area to your genetics and lifestyle.

The emotional support you get during your treatments is also invaluable and empowering because it shows that you’re loved and never alone. On the other hand, hearing someone say that they wish you had never beaten the illness can be devastating. The type of people we surround ourselves with can have a major impact on our mental and emotional well-being.

As per the World Health Organization, there were around 20 million new cancer cases reported in 2022. That same year, 9.7 million cancer-related deaths occurred.

Around a fifth of all people living on Earth develop cancer in their lifetime. Roughly 1 in 9 men and 1 in 12 women will die from the disease. The most common form of cancer around the world is lung cancer, representing 12.4% of all new cases.

Other common forms of the disease include female breast cancer (11.6%), colorectal cancer (9.6%), prostate cancer (7.3%), and stomach cancer (4.9%).

The CDC reports that 1.6 million Americans were diagnosed with new cases of cancer in 2020, which amounts to 403 new cases per 100k people. 602k people living in the United States lost their lives to the disease that year.

If your health is failing or you suspect that you might have cancer, it’s vital that you see a doctor ASAP

Image credits: MART PRODUCTION/Pexels (not the actual photo)

In the United Kingdom, there are around 375,000 new cases of cancer every year and around 167,000 deaths.

According to Cancer Research UK, half of all the people diagnosed in England and Wales survive their disease for over a decade. Over the past 50 years, the cancer survival rate has doubled in the United Kingdom due to the advances in medical tech and practices.

If you’re worried that a loved one may have cancer symptoms, you might find it difficult to talk to them about seeing a doctor. After all, you don’t want to upset or scare them. However, you should reassure them that you will support them no matter what.

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Meanwhile, explain to them that catching cancer early gives them the chance of the best possible outcome. You can then suggest that you’ll accompany them to their doctor’s appointments if they’d like that. Nobody should delay getting a check-up if their health is failing or if they suspect they might have cancer.

What are your thoughts about the story, dear Pandas? What would you do if you were in the viral internet post author’s shoes? Have you or a loved one beaten cancer before? What advice would you give anyone who gets a cancer diagnosis, to help them through this incredibly tough time? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Most readers were extremely supportive of the cancer survivor. Here’s the advice they gave him

However, a minority of internet users had a different perspective. Here’s how they saw things

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