When you suddenly lose all you hair, it becomes difficult to hide the fact that you have cancer, although I probably could have gotten away with it.  In the small island town where I live, I have appeared on the local community stage about 25 times over the last 17 years and have acquired a reputation for being a decent actor.  So it was not uncommon, when I walked into Publix, the town’s supermarket and social hub, to have people stop and ask me in all sincerity and seriousness if I were preparing for a new role! Really.  Several specifically asked if I were doing the King and I somewhere . It would have been very tempting to strike a theatrical pose and say "yes" but, unfortunately, I had no voice which would have been a dead give away.  Throat cancer radiation treatment does that to you. So I fessed up and said the dreadful word "chemo" and judging by the expression, I probably ruined that day for a friend of mine.  Sorry I didn’t mean to.