“Will it keep you sane?” was the question my son asked when I queried if he’d mind if I kept a blog about my cancer journey.
I’d asked his permission before starting the blog as I’d wanted to be respectful of his and our family’s privacy. At 13 he knew his momma well and understood the value of keeping one’s mind occupied. He gave me his blessing and thus my blog was born.
Writing my story has had many benefits, some even surprised me. First and foremost, telling my tale has been beneficial as it was cathartic and it gave me a way to update friends and family. It also brought me a community of people. The surprising part was how big and varied the community was.
Using social media to publish my blog brought me in touch with a community of people dealing with a similar situation. I quickly learned that there are many, many people in the same boat. On Facebook, there are a number of cancer groups I belong to. When I was first diagnosed, I joined a group of people with the same type of cancer I had. When I relapsed, I joined a smaller group for people like me; people who had a setback and had their cancer progress. Months later when my stem cell transplant failed, I joined another group. Again, these were people like me; people who had experienced multiple relapses. The surprise benefit of joining these groups was learning that I wasn’t alone. Even when my treatments repeatedly failed, I was surprised to find I was not alone; there were other people around the globe dealing with this rare cancer and unique situation.
There are many individuals on Instagram and Facebook whom I have never met in person, but I now consider part of my support network. There are a number of individuals on Instagram whom I follow. I’ve learned from them as they regularly post about their journey with cancer. We’re there for each other and cheer each other on when something good happens or lend an ear when the going gets tough. Through the Facebook groups I belong to, I’ve had the opportunity to ask questions and the other members provide an answer based on their experience. These opinions have provided me with reassurance that what I was going through, no matter how terrible, was normal or wasn’t, and when I should seek medical help to resolve a situation. Being able to reach out to a global audience all going through similar treatments has provided me with a knowledge base I could never have imagined.
Through social media, I've been introduced to some inspirational people who believe in living life to the fullest. The surprise has been how much people continue to live their life while living with cancer or going through cancer treatments.
@Kangell82 is a Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer thriver whose Instagram feed shares her stories of living with cancer. She recently went to a Garth Brooks concert. She’d brought a poster she’d made showing a song request and #cancersucks. Garth Brooks singled her out and serenaded her with her song choice “If Tomorrow Never Comes.” He then encouraged her to keep fighting and invited her to join him at a concert in a year; his invitation has literally given her something to live for.
Piotr @bananoooo and I met through Facebook as he reached out to inquire more about the autologous stem cell transplant I did as an outpatient. He lives in Poland and being an outpatient wasn’t an option for him. As we communicated further, Piotr was curious about how to stay fit while going through the stem cell process. The hospital he stayed in while undergoing his transplant had stationary bikes. While undergoing consecutive days of chemotherapy and the transplant recovery period, he did physical training each day to ensure he stayed as fit as possible. After about a 30-day stay in the hospital, he was allowed to leave. Within days of leaving, he proposed to his girlfriend. His relapse with cancer and his stay in the hospital made him realize that he needed to live his life now or he may never get the chance.
Ray Zahab @rayzahab and I met online over a joke about packing a lottery ticket when one goes for chemotherapy treatments; I subsequently won $4 on the ticket I purchased for one of my last rounds of chemo. Ray is a Canadian explorer who has run across many deserts and holds world records for unsupported trips across the Arctic, Siberia, and the South Pole. In the three weeks between rounds 4 and 5 of chemotherapy, Ray pulled a 100-pound sled across Baffin Island. He is determined that after his final round of chemotherapy, he is “REALLY going to light up the rocket ship of life.”
Seeing others live their lives to the fullest while living with cancer has inspired me to do the same.
And then there is you, dear reader. Thank you for providing me with a place and space to clear my head as I write about my latest updates. I am continually surprised and thankful for the number of people who are following along and keeping me in their thoughts.
I hope I continue to be surprised by how my blogging and website evolve. Who knows, perhaps one day I’ll publish these pieces into a book. If you know of any publishers, do let me know. ;-)
P.S. Recent blood work looks good.
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