My husband went to Philadelphia for shoulder surgery back in the day. His roommate was a younger fellow who had a slipped disc or something in his back. The guy was so worried about having surgery. Apparently he had something really serious on his conscience, and he was afraid of what might happen if he should die. Eventually he walked out without the surgery.
Back when I was young, you couldn’t even get the car salespeople to talk to you unless you were with a man.