Playing the cancer card

There are times that I just want to say to people, "Stop that (annoying behavior)! Don't you know I have CANCER?" This is known as playing the cancer card.

Annoying behaviors might be any of the following:

"How are you?" (said with great emphasis on are and with Bambi eyes). How do you think I am? I have CANCER!

"That haircut is so cute on you!" My hair is this radically short and has barely grown in months because I have CANCER.

You can imagine other annoying things people with cancer face on a daily basis from even the most well-intentioned family and friends.

Or we living with cancer might play the cancer card to get on the disabled line at the airport security check in ("I can't stand on a longer line because my CANCER disabled me"). There's more, I'll leave it to your imagination.

Well, now we can really play the cancer card, because the people at The Stupid Cancer Store have actually invented one. I bought a pack of ten for $14.99 plus shipping and was thrilled when they recently arrived. I immediately put one in my wallet and added the fob to my keychain. Yesterday, participants at my support group received the other nine cards. Everyone was delighted!

Feel free to support the underlying organization, The I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation - i[2]y.

Young adults, a largely unknown group in the war on cancer, account for 72,000 new diagnoses each year. That's one every eight minutes. It's also seven times more all than pediatric cancers. This is not OK!

Stupid Cancer (aka The I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation, i[2]y) is a non-profit organization that empowers young adults affected by cancer through innovative and award-winning programs and services. We are the nation's largest support community for this underserved population and serve as a bullhorn for the young adult cancer movement.

Our charter is to ensure that no one goes unaware of the age-appropriate resources they are entitled to so they can get busy living.

For more information, visit http://stupidcancer.org.

Seattle's hidden treasure for cancer patients

Gilda's Club Seattle (GCS) recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. I've gone to yoga here almost every week during the past six years. I help out with fundraising and have tried to model in the annual fashion show several times (health issues always prevented me from walking down that runway).

Although GCS has 20,000 members, it's struggled during the economic downtown. Gilda's Club is one of Seattle best-kept secrets for cancer patients. Why don't more people know about it?

Check out this Seattle Times article to learn more:

Rachel Clark of Issaquah was 8 years old when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Less than nine months later, Rachel stood by a hospice bed, unable to find words as her mother drew her final labored breaths.

Cancer can be like that.

Jerry Liebermann of Seattle was 22 when a tooth extraction that wouldn't stop bleeding led to the diagnosis of his leukemia. Doctors gave him three years to live. But, while he's had remissions, relapses, rough days and painful moments, he's still around, 33 years later.

Cancer can be like that, too.

Although their experiences are markedly different, Clark and Liebermann both say cancer always will be part of their lives.

They share something else as well: Gilda's Club.