Cancer Fighters Thrive

WINTER 2013

Cancer Fighters Thrive is a quarterly print and online magazine bringing readers practical, innovative and inspirational information about cancer treatment and survivorship.

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HUMOR There are numerous ways to allow for laughter in our lives: rent comedy videos, read the funnies and take the time to remember the laughter in your past. It is often hard to understand the heal- and the tumor shoots out your nose. ing power of laughter because it doesn't They're still testing to see if it works with We live in a dehumanizing society make sense to relate physical and spiri- 2 percent and skim. They're also having a that is centered on image, demographics, tual mending to the same feeling you got hard time fnding a doctor who can make sales and numbers. We seem to be valued when Milton Berle donned a dress. But people laugh." only by what we have or how famous we feel our true humanity. it is there. Medical scientists have proved There are numerous ways to allow for are. Our humanity and love of life have the existence of healing endorphins laughter in our lives: rent comedy vid- been buried and hidden. Then cancer released by laughter. But in plain terms, eos, read the funnies and take the time comes along and tries to take what is left. the magic of laughter happens when you to remember the laughter in your past. Through laughter, through loving and laugh—if only for that moment, you love For my money listening to Carl Reiner through our own passion for living, we your life. And when facing tragedy, that and Mel Brooks' "2,000 Year Old Man" can take control of our humanity once is profound knowledge we all can use. routine is guaranteed laughter. Just get- more. We see that life can be simple. We So, I exercised my sense of humor ting out and talking freely to others admit that cancer can be part of life. And whenever possible. While in pre-op works, too. When you actually converse we know that laughter and loving our during one of my nine surgeries, I was with and engage people around you, you lives always feels good. propped up atop a gurney with pillows, would be surprised how often laughter is as the staff scurried throughout the the result. room, and a young attendant brought This is not to say that laughter is the me heated blankets and checked to see only way to embrace our humanity. It is if there was anything I needed. Even not the only knowledge we have of loving though I was in for surgery, with every- life. Cancer patients should not be think- one running about and attending to me ing up new gags they can do with their while I sat as their audience, I felt as if I bed pans or making crank calls from were a Roman nobleman at the Forum. their rooms. Nobody is calling for a new Embracing the brief moment of regal generation of chronic disease comics. splendor, I turned to the attendant and, Embracing laughter does not mean non- with a playful air, said, "Fetch the oncol- stop guffaws. There are other ways to stay ogist—he amuses me." Learn more about Scott Burton at sburton.com or contact him directly at 612-385-8387. in touch with our humanity. There are I once tried to convince a friend that, the little things, such as smiling. There along with chemotherapy, radiation is genuine love. There is doing whatever therapy or the complementary humor it is you do that makes you feel human: therapy, there was such a thing as nasal reading, hugging, writing, talking— therapy. "What happens is, as you drink a maybe alligator wrestling if that does it glass of milk, the doctor makes you laugh for you. Many times even tears help us 54 cancer fighters thrive | winter 2013 cfthrive.com

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