Cancer and Humor

First off, Happy Valentine's Day to you all. It's a good time to thank everyone for the love and support they've been sending in lots of different ways. In your honor, I give you this romance-themed video. Call it "sweets for the sweet."

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I want to mention my brother-in-law Tom's comment from the last post. Tom suggested that my "Today I'm feeling" statements need a little more creativity. I say, "Stop picking on me. I have cancer."

I've actually been using variations of that line a lot, and I've found that it occasionally gets me out of having to do things. But only occasionally. We went out for a beer with some friends this weekend, and there weren't enough chairs around the bar table for all of us. Since we got there last, I had to say to them, "Oh, sure, make the guy with cancer stand up." Of course, they know me well, and weren't buying it. "Yeah, right. The guy runs a 5k up a mountain but he can't stand up for a few minutes." Nice.

I use it on my mom a lot, too. When mom and dad left Moday morning, I wasn't dressed for work yet. I told mom I wasn't going to work, since I had cancer, and no one could make me. But I used slightly more graphic language. She laughed, and then said, "Who would have ever thought I'd be laughing at the word 'cancer'?"

But what's the alternative? Crying? I've already done enough of that for now. I'll do more later, I'm sure. But laughing in its face, relentlessly, seems like a better option for the moment. There's plenty of research on the benefits of laughter, so I'm going with that particular alternative therapy while I watch and wait.

There's really not a whole lot of cancer-related humor on the internet. I've looked, of course. There's a nice article called "Does Cancer Have a Sense of Humor?" that discusses the benefits of humor, though it also is very clear that such humor is not for everyone. Another cancer humor site , "Are you Ready for Cancer Jokes?", urges people to read its introduction before they actually look at the jokes. Some things just aren't funny to some people, and some things just aren't funny, period. I'm guessing if/when my lymphoma progresses, my perspective on humor will change. But for now, I'll share this particular joke, from a Cancer Humor web site. I'll cut and paste, rather than send a link:

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An Irishman named Mike O'Leary went to his doctor after a long illness. The doctor, after a lengthy examination, sighed and looked Mike in the eye and said, "I've some bad news for you... you have a cancer known as Galloping Leukemia and it can't be cured. I give you two weeks to a month."
Mike, who was shocked and saddened by the news, but of solid character, managed to compose himself and walk from the doctor's office into the waiting room. There he saw his son, who had been waiting. Mike said, "Son, we Irish celebrate when things are good and we celebrate when things don't go so well. In this case, things aren't so well. I have cancer and I've been given a short time to live. Let's head for the pub and have a few pints."
After three or four pints, the two were feeling a little less somber. There were some laughs, some tears, and more beers. They were eventually approached by some of Mike's old friends who asked what the two were celebrating. Mike told them that the Irish celebrate the good and the bad. He went on to tell them that they were drinking to his impending end. He told his friends, "I've only got a few weeks to live as I have been diagnosed with AIDS." The friends gave O'Leary their condolences and they all had a few more beers.
After his friends left, Mike's son leaned over and whispered in confusion, "Dad, I thought you said that you were dying from cancer. You just told your friends that you were dying from AIDS."
Mike replied, "I am dying from cancer, son. I just don't want any of them sleeping with your mother after I'm gone.

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Now, really, that's just sick and wrong on a bunch of different levels. But I laughed out loud when I read it anyway.

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I actually love Tom's idea for the "I'm Feeling" statement: using Simpsons characters to represent how I feel. Of course, now I can't use Tom's idea, since it's too brilliant to steal, so I'll have to come up with something else. I'm open to any suggestions you all might have.

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My best wishes for good travel go out to my friends Nicole (known to readers as CocoVertigogo) and Cindy, who are off to San Francisco tomorrow for an academic conference.

I have a favor to ask Joe and Christine, my Northern California in-laws: I've asked Nicole to try to score me some medicinal marijuana. If she gets caught, do you know a good lawyer she can call? Even an average lawyer would be fine -- like, someone who advertises on the subway or something.

Thanks in advance.