When we talk about illness, why does metaphor matter? What does it mean to think about cancer as a battle? What are the possibilities for other metaphors? And can the language we choose reframe the experience of illness itself? In this episode, host Lucy Kalanithi is joined by oncologist Shekinah Elmore and linguist Elena Semino.
Drs. Lucy Kalanithi, Shekinah Elmore and Elena Semino explore what becomes possible when we stop seeing cancer as a battle.
Curious about the poem you heard in this week’s episode? Read “A Litany for Survival” by Audre Lorde.
Hear Dr. Shekinah Elmore’s TEDMED talk “The courage to live with radical uncertainty.”
Explore the Metaphor Menu for Cancer created by Professor Elena Semino’s team at Lancaster University.
Gravity is produced by Wonder Media Network. Original music by Rachel Wardell. Rekha Murthy is our editor. Our executive producer is Jenny Kaplan.
For more on why we’re doing what we're doing, check us out on Instagram and on Twitter. Find Lucy on Twitter at @rocketgirlmd.