Lessons I've learned along the way #9.
The patient & his/her significant other should be allowed to control the information flow, especially on public social media sites.
As much as we "supporting cast" people would like to share updates at will, the truth is that it's not our story to tell. It's theirs. And the "main characters" should have the right to say, or not say what is said, or not said.
If there is bad news, they may need time to digest and come to grips with the info.
If there is good news, we should not burst their bubble by posting it online before they get to do so.
And let's not forget that there are family members who should be notified personally, before info is put on the web. And unless you are a main character, you probably don't know if all of the supporting cast has been notified.
This is a hard one for me, as I am big on communication. But through this process, I have reminded myself that it's not my story. It's theirs. Therefore, public broadcasts of information is their right. Not mine. And my actions need to respect that right.
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