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namman siggins

That Dragon, Cancer

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Heard the Reply All podcast about it, I'm sure I'll pick it up and play it at some point. My step dad is being treated for cancer right now and I don't think I can handle this at the moment.

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I just finished it. I really liked how it didn't gloss over the struggles they went through, particularly

the conflict between the optimistic wife and more doubtful husband.

 

I found the imagery very affecting

Cancer = briars and brambles. Drowning in the water. etc.

 

The one part I didn't like was

the Go-Kart race. Finding out at the end that the prizes you were collecting were chemotherapy drugs was a gut punch. I wanted them to have one moment in the game that was joyful without a background of sadness. But hey, maybe that's how it felt, pretending to be happy at this party on this bittersweet day of discharge from the clinic

 

I'm a Christian and have really been turned off by the perspective that there's always an answer to every question. Cliche religious sayings do more harm than good especially to those grieving.

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I'm a Christian and have really been turned off by the perspective that there's always an answer to every question. Cliche religious sayings do more harm than good especially to those grieving.

 

I'm an atheist, but I have a son that has a rare genetic disorder. A lot of parents in our family support group are, unsurprisingly, very religious. Raising a child with a severe disease or illness is incredibly stressful and taxing. I don't begrudge anyone doing whatever they need to cope with the day to day stress of it. Cliche religious sayings might seem trite, but they make a difference to a lot of people. In some ways, I envy those people. Some days, I wish a few cliche sentences were enough to comfort me when I'm at my low points.

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