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Laughing as a coping mechanism in cancer
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Coping with cancer undoubtedly is a difficult task, and a few years in this job has taught me that no one does it the same way. Some people deny, some avoid, some learn everything they can about the cancer, some advocate, some legislate, some cry and some laugh.
It makes sense that laughing is a useful coping skill, although it may seem somewhat inappropriate given the gravity of a cancer diagnosis, no matter the prognosis. One of my friends who recently was being treated for testicular cancer makes me giggle about his experience every time we talk about it. I won't generally be the first to make jokes about a person's cancer but will follow their lead if they want to go there.
The Internet is a perfect format for laughing at cancer, now that so many patients have blogs, Twitter and Facebook. So I was glad to come across this article in Newsweek, called "A malignant melanoma walks into a bar...". The title alone makes me laugh. In that article you will find links to all kinds of young funny people who also happen to have cancer. Go ahead, click and laugh. It's good for you.