I didn't really know anything about cancer before being diagnosed
I knew it had something to do with tumors and that people died but I don't
remember ever talking about it
and I get why its scary and confusing
so we avoid talking about it and it just remains a mystery. I bet if I walked into a
high school classroom right now an asked what melanoma is
or what sarcoma is. Cancer.
But if I asked what chlamydia is
You know your STD's like your ABC's
HIV syphilis, AIDS, Herpes
And I get it kids need to know chlamydia is especially at that age but for a disease
that affects one in three people
feels like we should be talking about it. What have you learned about cancer so
far in school
It's bad, you don't really expect it
We read the fault in our stars
summer reading book. I think it's hard to talk about cancer because
it's a disease breaks all the rules sometimes it feels like it has every
cause in the world and other times it feels like it has no cause I was diagnosed at 26
having never smoked
never even put those the little pink packets in my coffee I was an otherwise pretty
healthy guy
I would say my friends in New York would describe me as kinda crazy healthy before
I met neck I never had a green juice
never drank green tea didn't know what a goji berry was
one time during lunch he just whipped out an entire cucumber and started
chewing on it like it was an apple
some people smoke a pack a day till they are 90 years old and they never get cancer
it's hard to come to terms with the disease that makes no sense
I know it sounds overly optimistic maybe even childish
but I long for the day when cancer's just gone when it's just a myth that
parents can tell their kids to get and brush their teeth at night
Okay, thats enough Facebook time. Nobody goes on Facebook anymore
Did you do your homework yes Did you brush your teeth?
Yes. Did you?
because if you didn't cancer fairy will give you a tumor
mom everybody knows that cancer doesn't exist. Tell that to the Cancer fairy
because she's gonna leave you a tumor right here
Mom! Mommm. Right here! Good night mom! Good night!
I either want this or I want cancer to be something that everyone has
and I know that sounds morbid but if everyone got it then we would know what to say.
Honey, are you dressed yet? The recitals in a half an hour.
Get your butt in gear mister I don't even want to go. She stinks.
She's your sister and she loves the piano
Wait what is going on here? nothing
sweetie! I think you're getting your first tumor, so what?
So what?! This is a big deal! Lizzy get in here!
I got to call your grandmother oh honey we have to have a diagnosis party
I wonder if I can get that cancer clown. Oh he is always so hard to book short noticed
What? your brother is getting his first tumor!
This was supposed to be my
day I'll me
Honey, I'm so proud of you.
because if in the future no one gets cancer and it's like small pox
we can think about in sepia tone but if everyone gets it
They it's like chicken pox and no one feels like they did anything wrong
Cause I do
I look back at my whole life and think of all the things I did wrong, maybe I cheated on too
many tests maybe cheated on too many girlfriends
and that's why i got cancer theres something comforting about knowing the cause
an illness he drink from the same glass as somebody you get sick you know why
if you get a little poop on your mouth and get sick if you have sex
without a condom and get sick you know the implied risk
going into the activity but still you might get a little poop on your mouth.
we have a responsibility to learn more about cancer
cause I feel like if our collective awareness is raised
we're gonna move a lot faster to that time when cancer is just the next boggy man
*Scary Music*
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