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When she was growing up, Calloway-Campbell recalls that her parents “made clear whatever happens in this household stays in this household. We were taught not to say anything.” So when her husband was diagnosed with multiple myeloma six years ago, the couple’s natural response was to keep the news close.
To that end, Calloway-Campbell laid down the law with her adult daughters. “I told them, ‘We are not going to put this out on social media,” she recalls. “‘I will decide who to tell and how. If you have a few close friends you need to talk to, that’s fine, but you may not share blow-by-blow details.’”
Besides tradition, at least among Black Americans of the baby boomer generation, there’s likely more behind a shared reluctance to talk openly about personal matters. Pride may be one factor, especially for men. For example, often, a myeloma diagnosis makes it necessary to stop working. This could deal a devastating blow to someone who is used to being the head of a household and the primary breadwinner.
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