Linda Cohen

When I first heard I had an incurable, but indolent cancer, my world exploded. I couldn’t even wrap my head around it, as they say. It took time to process this information. My world was different now. I woke up thinking about cancer and went to bed thinking about cancer. This couldn’t go on or the stress alone would speed things up. I told my husband I needed to do something to help me sleep. “Maybe I need to watch something funny?” I said.

The next day, my husband surprised me! He bought a full season of a sitcom he knew I loved and hadn’t seen in years. He suggested watching one each night. We cuddled in bed as we laughed together and it felt so good! Just what the doctor ordered. I slept better and didn’t wake up with cancer looming over me every morning. Some mornings, yes, but it was much better.

The National Institute of Health shared a journal article published in the National Library of Medicine, entitled 

Effects of Laughter Therapy on Quality of Life in Patients With Cancer.

They concluded, "Laughter therapy may represent a beneficial, noninvasive complementary intervention in the clinical setting. Further studies are needed to verify the hypotheses generated from this exploratory study.” I knew intuitively this was the case.

Life seems overwhelming after a cancer diagnosis and it drives our schedule. There, are appointments to make, treatments, medications, etc.This is not to mention all the psychological trauma and relationships you are still trying to maintain.

How nice it would be to purposefully include some laughter with someone close to help you remember to smile and better yet, to have a good laugh together? Just like I have recommended setting aside time to deal with your worries, I am recommending allowing yourself the time to include laughter to bolster your resilience. Perhaps renting your favorite comedy movie and watching it with a good friend? Laughing together could be just the medicine you need, without any negative side effects or contraindications, and low and behold, it’s FREE!

Due to the recent current events and the state of today’s world, I now have a new habit. “Doomscrolling,” is a “trendy name for the tendency to consume endless negative news.” I decided, once again, it was time to consciously add some humorous time to my life. “Laughter is the physical manifestation of finding something funny, and it can help to reduce inflammation and stress hormones, improve circulation, and enhance the immune system,” says the 

Wellness Advisory Board member Heidi Hanna, founder of Synergy Brain Fitness, a consulting company that creates cognitive performance programs. Her claims about laughter were based on evidence from studies in publications such as the 

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal, Medical Hypotheses

Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine

. Hanna said, “To bring the funny to your life, you don’t even need to laugh out loud.” She also said, “Just finding something funny or amusing can have the same benefits.”

Researchers looked at the brain activity of people experiencing something humorous. Laughing stimulates healing gamma waves and can help in different ways. It lowers levels of cortisol, which is a known stress hormone, and simultaneously elevates the “happy” neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. Also, they found that when people laughed with others, as opposed to being alone, it was contagious!

Once again, I will deliberately look for ways to laugh during the day. It has helped me before and I believe it will help me again. The stress of “Doomscrolling” is not helpful for my cancer, so I know I need to consciously take charge and try to help myself.Knowing it helped me at the time of my cancer diagnosis, I feel I have read enough research and I’m convinced it will help me again.

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I've found that making time for a good laugh each day helped break through the looming thought of cancer. 

Can Laughter Help Me Through Cancer?

As this new year begins, I reflect on the difficult medical year I had dealing with my chronic cancer in 2022. BUT, I got through it. After having multiple medical tests in 2022, a new treatment emerged for me that has helped more than I could have ever hoped.

As I enter 2023, I see all the new lines on my 71-year-old face, but I also know they were well earned. I believe that in the face of adversity I learn the most about myself. Through the storms I have experienced, I gain strength and more appreciation for all the blessings that I do have in life.

When I wake up and take account of my assets (and I don’t mean financial!), I am not only in touch with the reality of living my life with cancer and a supportive family, but I’m also in touch with the new normal I need to adjust to as I enter this year with an advanced treatment for the first time.

The other new normal is still living with the threat of COVID-19, especially with my particular type of blood cancer. One thing I find very difficult is not being able to socialize with my friends. Everything I have read still says, “Get vaccinated and act unvaccinated.”

I was warned about eating indoors in restaurants, so in Michigan that means waiting until the spring for the treat of eating outdoors in a restaurant again. I have, however, decided to take somewhat of a calculated risk to eat in my house with my family. Thankfully, they all try very hard to protect me because they know how important it is for me to see my grandchildren.

In reflecting, a good year isn’t necessarily determined by material success, physical comforts or even emotional serenity, but rather how we grow from the difficult times we’ve experienced. How did we come out of it all and how do we move into the future? If we did emerge from this past year with more strength and resiliency we will hopefully and likely have emotional security heading into the new year. That may be partially up to us... if we can maintain a positive attitude.

Reflecting and accepting a new normal as I enter 2023 will help me as I go into this year. I’ll begin with the realization that my new signs of aging are also from all my smiles, and the joy, love and support I have had from my family.

Making the decision to follow Dinah Shore’s advice is also key for me. “Trouble is a part of life, and if you don’t share it, you don’t give the people who love you a chance to love you enough.” (And that includes close friends!) Allowing my inner circle of friends to know when I’m scared or concerned about what I’m facing also gives me the scaffold I need to move forward to deal with my new normal.

Personally, I find writing to be therapeutic, as well. If you haven’t tried journaling your thoughts as you move through the uncharted territory of your personal cancer, you might want to make this New Year’s resolution and give it a try. Who knows? You may be very pleasantly surprised.

As I begin this new year, I am grateful that I get to spend time writing this blog, thanks to CURE and you the readers. Hope we will all go into the new year taking care of ourselves as best we can— emotionally, physically and spiritually! Happy healthy New Year to everyone!

Life looks a bit different after my cancer diagnosis and the COVID-19 pandemic, making me even more grateful for the people in my life.  

At the Start of 2023, I’m Reflecting on My New Normal With Cancer

After having small lymphocytic lymphoma for 10 years and keeping up with treatments when needed, I began to develop upper respiratory tract infections way too often.

My oncologist recognized this and tested my antibodies, which showed that they were below normal. At that time, he suggested starting IV immunoglobulin infusions (IVIG). I was open to anything that would help me fight these infections that were now affecting my daily life.

He informed me that I could do this at home with a subcutaneous method rather than an IV. The thought of that was too scary for me. I didn’t want to hear anything about it.

After a while, it became tiresome to work all my plans around an every four-week trip to the infusion center for at least five hours. More importantly, I was dreading the IV part of it! I was requiring more and more pokes to try to get the IV started.

Meanwhile, my husband was keeping up with the literature on immunoglobulin infusions. He began telling me about new subcutaneous infusions that I could do at home, every four weeks. Three years later, they came out with newer medications that took less time and could still be administered every four weeks.

I was skeptical and not sure I wanted to rock the boat. My husband kept reading articles about it and encouraged me to think about how freeing this could be.

Finally, I decided we should look into it. At this point in our lives, we were trying to travel more. I loved the idea of not having to go to the infusion center for five hours at a time. I also loved the idea of not having my veins poked at all!

It wasn’t an easy transition, but my doctor was on board, and he wrote the prescription so that we could get the ball rolling. We first had to go to an infusion center to learn how to administer this new medication — it was a steep learning curve.

We went to four supervised sessions, and we were determined to be successful. During the last treatment, we went as far as to video the whole process. We were given the telephone number and name of the nurse who trained us. The nurse assured us we were ready! The specialty pharmacy called, we reviewed the order, and they shipped the medication to our house.

It was a bit daunting when everything arrived, but we were determined. 

You might ask, “Why go through all this?” We could do the infusion every four weeks on our schedule, and the infusion took half the time from start to finish. I also had much fewer side effects. 

Now, the immunoglobulin medication was connected to a pre-programmed pump that went directly under the skin of my abdomen via a tiny needle. One of the problems I had with the IVIG was at times it would go into my veins too quickly, causing a severe reaction. This never happened with the new method, and yet it took so much less time.

The only drawback that I would want people to know before they even begin investigating this alternative immunoglobulin infusion is that when given at my doctor’s infusion center, there was no cost to me at all. It was completely covered. Now we have an out-of-pocket monthly expense because it is given at home, and I am not home bound. This was the reason I was given, but I was also told this could change in the future. Most likely, it all depends on one’s insurance coverage. I do recommend checking that out first.

Personally, the flexible schedule, shorter duration with fewer side effects was life-changing for me and made the decision well worth it.

Once I got the hang of administering subcutaneous immunoglobulin, my life was so much easier, as I no longer had to undergo monthly IV infusions for my cancer-related compromised immune system. 

Switching to Subcutaneous Medication for My Cancer-Induced Compromised Immune System Was Life Changing 

Twelve years ago, I was diagnosed with chronic indolent lymphoma. I was told there was no cure, but I would need to watch and wait, and treat as needed for as long as possible. Of course, I looked it up on the internet after hearing the diagnosis and I read the average time to live with this disease was 10 years. My wonderful oncologist, however, told me not to even consider listening to that number, and he gave me hope. He said it was an average number for a lot of people who found out at different stages, and I wasn't average! It took a while for me to digest all of this. I am an open person, so I shared what I was experiencing with my friends and my synagogue community. I am a big believer in prayer and how can people pray for me if they don't know?

As the years progressed, I dealt with different treatments I needed, from infusions to radiation. Today, I also have to have immune globulin infusions every four weeks because I'm so immune compromised. People often asked me how I still seemed to enjoy life. I was told, "It takes such courage." I really thought about this because I didn't think it took courage at all. It was the only way for me to live. Did my resiliency come from my father? My heritage? I composed the following poem with these thoughts in mind.

I’m from a “daddy” who believed in his little girl,

From someone who always said, “You’re incredible.”

I’m from someone who empowered me with these words.


I’m from this strong wind beneath my wings

I’m from the hope of the Jewish people,

A hope that is part of me internally and externally.

I’m from God, who takes my worry when it’s too much for me.

And who hears my prayers but whose answer could be a “gauntlet with a gift in it.”

I’m from faith that gives me courage to live with uncertainty.

My essence is strong inside because of where I’m from.

I think about what my father went through during the Holocaust…

I think about all that my father instilled in me from this.


I think about what our ancestors endured before me.

Then I know I can get through a serious cancer diagnosis.

I'll find a doctor to treat me with his brilliant mind and a hopeful prognosis.

I'll get through this pandemic and focus on my blessings.

Instead of how scary it is for me, with my compromised immunity.


I choose to focus on the resiliency of my father and my forefathers.

I choose to live life to the fullest, finding purpose in each and every day.

I choose to laugh, love, dance and sing from my soul.

I choose to focus on passing along the gifts I was given.

And grandchildren, all the love I have to give...

Because that’s what makes me resilient.

To help them through whatever comes their way.

This poem was originally submitted for the CURE® 2021 Poetry Contest.

A lymphoma survivor writes a poem about her sources of resiliency when dealing with cancer treatments.

Linda Cohen

Can Laughter Help Me Through Cancer?

At the Start of 2023, I’m Reflecting on My New Normal With Cancer

Switching to Subcutaneous Medication for My Cancer-Induced Compromised Immune System Was Life Changing

Finding Strength to Face Cancer in 'Where I’m From'

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