“Blog for a Cure” asks when you fill out your profile to name: What I Hate Most About Cancer. However, there is nothing like: What have you learned from cancer? Or: What things do you appreciate from the experience? Something like that… So, I think that is unacceptable. As far as I am concerned, everything has a good side—cancer, in fact, more than many bad things. And, I love lists. So, here is mine:
- Friends and family. Just to feel the love and support is wonderful. I am sure my friends loved me before I had cancer, but they express it more now.
- I feel luckier than ever to have such a beyond-wonderful partner.
- The cancer card is awesome. Don’t want to do something? Want someone to do something for you? Just say the magic word and voilà!
- I can now make jokes about cancer with no fear!
- I love seeing all the cool technology that exists to cure cancer. And to live in an age when it exists. (Which is really recent!)
- I loved meeting a lot of incredibly competent and warm medical folks. And, I really got to see the strengths and weaknesses of our medical system up close and personal.
- I confirmed that what I thought intellectually about getting a life-threatening illness squared with my emotional reaction. That pleased me greatly.
- I got my Mac Air as a “cancer present”. It’s awesome.
- I got to use the excuse that I had ‘chemo brain’ when I did something stupid for a period of time (but I don’t get to use it any more).
- I’ve gained some wisdom, which I hope can be passed to others to help their bout with throat cancer go better. (Go Jimmy! I don’t know him, but via emails I have been communicating with his partner and him about my experience. He just started treatments today.)
- There is no doubt that the fact that I now weigh my-only-in-a-dream weight of 120 is a huge perk.
LOVE IT!! Love you.
ReplyDelete...and I like that your list goes to 11.
ReplyDeleteJust so you know, I heard Geoff Dunn blame chemobrain only the other night, and he had his battle with cancer five years ago.
ReplyDeleteDon't throw away a good excuse!
Great blog post by the way. And I'm glad you got to see Gotterdamerung.
Only you could have turned such a rotten experience into something positive, Robin! Glad you are back... Lisa L
ReplyDeleteMy experiences exactly. Aside from the pesky cancer part, it was - in its own odd way - a wonderful experience. I still miss the fun folks at the radiation clinic. And let's hear it for awesome partners and friends!
ReplyDeletexoxoxo
Love that you wanted to post this. Hope you make the suggestion to "Blog for a Cure" that they should add this as well. Makes a big difference to dwell on the positive. You are great at it. (And I like that Carrie Fisher resentment quote on your FB page as well--don't know how I missed that before, but it's perfect).
ReplyDelete