Re: Delivering Bad News: When My Patient Was My Own Mother

With enthusiasm, we have read the article titled“Delivering bad news: when my patient was my ownmother” by Doctor Tahmasebi published in the latestissue of Archives of Breast Cancer.۱ We congratulatethe author for this valued article on such an importanttheme, and at the same time would like to make somecomments regarding the issues presented in thatpaper.The author shared her experience as the firstdegree family member of a breast cancer patient ,hermother, as well as the responsibilities she shoulderedas her doctor to guarantee the best care. Shebeautifully described her exigent feelings inperforming these two demanding tasks well aswithholding the “cancer” diagnosis from her mother:“In avoiding a direct and frank conversation with mymother about her illness, I wonder whose emotions Iwas protecting, hers or mine?”