Denial (the first stage in the grief model) was prolonged for me.

• I get a vein infusion from a Chinese nurse with a gold hand in this picture. I still did not understand the severity of my condition. It is also not customary in Chinese culture to tell a patient, especially a foreigner, that his illness is severe.
• For me, the stage of denial lasted about 6 years; even though I was on the verge of death, I didn't realize that I could die at any moment! The doctors in my country misinterpreted my condition, while the doctors in China do not tend to tell the patient "unpleasant" things as part of a culture. It was clear to me that my health was "not good," but thoughts of death were not in the background. (Although I told my immediate surroundings that it would have been better to die)

The stage of denial of the severity of the disease exists in most severe chronic patients. The duration of this phase can be long and varies from person to person. The fact that most of us react similarly shouldn't come as a surprise. The 5-step grief model is very familiar in behavioral psychology and has great importance in recovery processes, especially from severe illnesses. Link: Kübler-Ross model | Explains the behavior of personal loss.