In my work helping people affected by cancer in Atlanta, people often ask if their feelings are normal.  There seems to be some general assumption that there is a prescribed reaction that you “should” have when faced with the life-altering diagnosis of cancer.  Given the range of human emotions and personal experiences, any number of thoughts and feelings can and do bubble up - some just under the surface and some like a geyser, and others becoming a fluid wave between the two.  I do find some common themes with people who have been recently diagnosed with breast cancer, colon cancer, multiple myeloma or other cancers.