Is Anybody Out There?
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Cancer Blogging.
First, what exactly is a blog?
“A blog (an abridgment of the term web log) is a website where entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order.” Source.
And how many blogs are out there? The estimated 112.8 million English speaking blogs is probably an underestimate.
So why blog? Why write a book or create the lyrics to a song? Do you have something to say that others want to hear?
If you are a cancer patient, you are one of 10,326,000 people. Source.
This doesn’t include cancer survivors.
That’s a lot of people you have a commonality with, not to mention every single person touched by cancer.
Does your journey have a value to others? I think so and obviously so do others.
There is a huge relief that comes from reading a journey similar to your own. That sense of not being alone is hugely comforting. As we’ve discussed before regarding social platforms, sometimes it does take one to know one. Who truly knows what you are dealing with every moment of every day better than someone who IS there, right beside you, in a similar situation?
A New York Times article, February 26, 2008 discusses the value of chronicling for cancer patients. The Power of Words for Cancer Patients.
How Long is Forever?
Remember: Forever is a long, long time. The amount of personal information you put out on the internet will stay there forever. It can return to haunt you. And indeed the government has ruled that IP addresses are similar to phone numbers and can be monitored. Source. If you don’t want your employer or your insurance provider’s secretary to know everything about your journey, then maintain anonymity when you blog.
Rules for the blogging road:
Keep it relevant.
Keep it up.
Where to start?
Blog For a Cure, a community of cancer survivors supporting each other, offers free blogs for cancer patients and a community already set up that is exclusive to cancer patients. This community is commercial free.
There are numerous ways to set up a blog and many platforms, nearly every internet provider allows and encourages a free blog option.
Get started with a great book on blogging.
Blogging For Dummies
There are many excellent personal cancer blogs, so many that Battling Cancer could never mention them all.
Here are a few favorites. Feel free to send yours or one you regularly read and we will share it or link to it.
NPR:My Cancer :Leroy Siever’s battle with brain cancer.
Leukemia patient, and Glamour Magazine editor, Erin Zammett Ruddy’s blog: Life With Cancer.
Check out the links section for more blogs.
HART still has a lot of work to do ... if you see something that is broken, please bring it to his attention via contact page or inside Facebook! Thanks :D
I am sending you a huge cyber hug, Connie. I hope you have some people close to you who can offer support.
My father is dying of lung cancer and unfortunatly our family are all either drug addicts or alcoholics. Im bipolar and try to keep my drinking to a decent level. I have one last child at home whom is 12. Next month I am going to go and spend time at my mother and fathers house to help out. I am also emotionally depressed. I choke up alot of the times as I love my dad dearly. Cannot think of life without him. I am also suicidal with a non existant husband that wont even share the same bed as myself. Sleeps on the couch. Doesnt give two shits. Pathetic
Finally had a chance to explore your sites Scott. Very inspiring. While not specifically cancer, they deal with issues that will touch all of our lives along with ways to deal with those stressors. Thanks again for sharing.
Scott, thanks for taking the time to post and to share the sites with the rest of our readers. I look forward to exploring them and linking to them.
Really appreciate the direction!!
Great idea. I have a couple of websites. One is called www.rainbowshappen.com and one is www.mystresscoach.com I also have a couple of blogs. The rainbows happen web and blog are especially devoted to people dealing with life threatening illnesses as well as people who have lost loved ones. I have co-written a couple of books with a friend who was given six months to live over 30 years ago and she is still doing fine. One is called The Healing Journey and you can get it at www.booklocker.com and the other is I Will Live Today which you can get through the websites listed above. I have worked for years with people dealing with cancer and other life threatening situations and have learned a great deal from them.