(NPR) – What happened to Gomez is common enough that some have coined a term for it: “cancer ghosting.” This social isolation and loss of support – even from close friends and family members – is a devastating and often unrecognized side effect of the disease. Survivors say abandonment creates scars that run deeper and take longer to heal than physical damage. It’s especially jarring for young patients, who have fewer peers with experience of major illness and appreciation of its many tolls.

Many, like Gomez, say they felt unprepared for how the disease — and peoples’ reactions to it — reordered their relationships, hollowed out their self-worth, and above all left them feeling devastatingly alone. (Read More)