 
I still remember the first time I realized the potential of blogging. I had been dragged out of bed with groggy reluctance to cope with a child whose upside-down time clock was making her want to be held and entertained at 3 a.m. and to top it off she had a fever (or did she?) and wouldn’t take any medicine. I was insecure about my parenting skills to begin with (and an instant parent at that) and the stress level was building. Sitting down one afternoon and writing about my fears on a new blog not only brought me relief and a sense of humor about the whole thing but it also brought me into the community of other parents with remarkably similar experiences. No longer alone, I was the published author of my own life journey and it felt great. Cancer-related blogs have been around as long as blogs have and for good reason. They are a natural fit because some survivors have an overwhelming need to transform the devastation of living with cancer into a journey of articulation, sharing, and inspiration. And for others, the initial diagnosis is such an overwhelming shock they are driven to memorialize in writing as if to make permanent the sum total of a life suddenly made impermanent. The Art of A Cancer Blog Not all cancer blogs have happy endings and we endure the loss. Many have no endings and they simply morph into the practicalities of everyday life, reassuring new patients and ongoing survivors that life in fact does go on after the world changes irrevocably. And in those everyday, often mundane moments there is something to be learned far more effectively than even the heartfelt shared conversations many newly diagnosed patients have with encouraging survivors at the treatment center: We are all survivors in one way or another. Metaphorically or not, we can learn to walk with one leg, to eat with one hand, to see when sight is compromised, to love and be loved through trials and tribulations, and to find normalcy in places we never thought would ever feel normal again. Blogs show us again and again that for many, the end part of a cancer journey is the beginning of another often more empowered, more purposeful, and more inspired life. Find a Blog, Write A Blog Hint: Remember to look for the earliest dates of the blog found on the side menu if you want to go back to the beginning of their diagnosis. Otherwise just jump in to their latest entry for up-to-date info on their journey. I Choose Hope NPR: My Cancer Jayne’s Breast Cancer Blog: Exploring the Intersection of Cancer and Creativity A Pastor’s Cancer Diary Shin’s Cancer Blog |
