Finding Humor in a Cancer Journey

My first experience with cancer was after my second child was born. I got Hodgkin disease. It was a harrowing experience. I was 27 years old, and treatment was much more barbaric than it is now. I always had hope and felt strongly that I would be OK.

However, I knew it would take resilience, and I was confident I could handle it.

Throughout my healing process, I also found humor. I always had a comedic personality, but I discovered that making people laugh while I was in pain made me feel better. People laughed, and I laughed along, which gave me a new outlook to ease my pain. Fast forward, I was 50 when I got breast cancer, and that was from Hodgkin radiation.

The radiation may have saved my life at that time, but in later years, it caused breast cancer. Luckily, I only needed a double mastectomy. No chemotherapy.

I found humor was my friend again. For some crazy reason, nipple jokes were my salvation. Crude as it may seem, I became nipple fixated. As my plastic surgeon was explaining some of the physical aspects of breast reconstruction, all I heard was, “Lastly, you add on the nipple.” He said that sometimes you take the skin of your inner thigh to use for the nipple. You can even make the nipple look more real by using a tattoo.

There, a stream of nipple jokes came to mind.

Everything associated with nipples was funny. At that time, a close friend introduced me to someone else who was going through a similar awful situation. She was in her last stage of breast reconstruction and said to me, “On Wednesday, I'm getting my nipples.”

There it was, again, the “Nipple Thing.” So I told her, “Maybe you could get a manicure on Tuesday, get your nipples on Wednesday, and who knows what on Thursday!” We both laughed. What made the situation even funnier was that she does indeed get manicures on Tuesdays!

Along with the humor, I became aware that I needed to extend empathy to others going through cancer. I became an advocate, sharing my experiences of surviving cancer with whoever I was introduced to who had a hard time dealing with their cancer. Hope, humor and a strong sense of positivity became my mantra.

I'm turning 75 next month. I just had my third cancer diagnosis. I have lung cancer. I know, right? Unbelievable! Hope is again my salvation. I start chemotherapy in three weeks. Of course, I will beat this, too. After three months, I will begin a year of immunotherapy for a very curable cancer. I'm lucky, but I admit I'm exhausted.

As I reflect on my life, I realize that hope has always been a crucial factor in my survival, alongside my sense of humor, which has always helped ease the tension. I forgot to mention that my friends and family were another huge contributor to my success in beating cancer. I was fortunate to have many friends. The support was immeasurable.

They always helped to pull up my spirits and keep me sane. My humorous personality gave us all a feeling of warmth and hope. Along with my humor, I also knew I had to have a moment to cry. A good pity party is OK once in a while, but you always have to pick yourself up and shake it off! Somehow, through all of my health issues, I found writing about it always gave me a powerful feeling of fulfillment. There's a quote from Anne Frank's diary, “When I write, I can shake off all my cares.” Those words resonate with me more than anything.

This piece reflects the author’s personal experience and perspective. For medical advice, please consult your health care provider.

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