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Cancer. It’s not the type of thing you ask for — usually. Who’d want it? A life-changing, sometimes life-ending disease. Cancer’s so scary that there are people who won’t say the word aloud…but I was saying it regularly, begging God to let me be the one with cancer. My son, a strong, smart, energetic 22-year-old junior at the University of Missouri, woke up one morning with an aching chest. It turned out to be a malignant tumor, and the start of my most fervent prayers. “Please. I’ve had a great life. Let it be me — not him.”

After his diagnosis, much of what happened was a blur. Months of chemo. Surgery. Watching my son lose his hair, his appetite gone because everything tasted metallic, as all the while he wondered if he would have a girlfriend, a family of his own, a life

For two decades, I’d studied, written and spoken about the therapeutic values of humor. It was time to walk the talk. It was tough. I won’t kid you. Being funny can be hard work. At times, we had to make a conscious effort to laugh. And yet sometimes, if we would just let it”it would just happen. Humor was a saving grace for all of us.

There was a time for tears, but there was a time for laughter. Many times, actually.

My son has always been lucky in his friends. David’s roommates provided him with great support and camaraderie, dubbing him “Captain Cancer” — the superhero no one wants to be. One roommate, an artistic red-headed color blind Italian, begged to decorate my son’s newly bald head with colorful markers.

He also found support at work. He worked as a bouncer at a local bar. The man he worked the door with was known as Tonto, and my son was The Lone Ranger. Following one of his treatments, a bunch of his buddies visited the bar. Afterward, David announced his new nickname, bestowed by his friends: Chemo-sabi!

Allen Klein, author of The Healing Power of Humor, surveyed patients who were terminally ill, about the use of humor. About 80% of them wished for more humor”from their caregivers, and the freedom to use humor themselves.

Proactively using humor helps heal the body and the spirit. How do you proactively use humor? Try the following:

Play: Make a Play List. This is a list of 10 low or no-cost things that are fun for you. Then, when you’re not feeling well, do something from the list. You dont wait until you feel better to play. You play and then you feel better.

Make it easy to play by having fun toys around. Magic 8 balls, water guns, even the proverbial rubber chicken– as long as it makes you smile, it’ll work.

Collect: Collect funny books, magazines, movies and cartoons. Write down funny or embarrassing stories people tell you. Seek out jokes and funny stories. Take at least 15 minutes a day enjoying your collection.

Make Connections: Surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Spend as little time as possible with negative, downbeat folks who make you feel bad. Ask people to laugh — and do your best to make them laugh. One laugh leads to the next!

By the way, David has been cancer free now for 4 years. Hes engaged to be married next month. His courage, his gentle spirit and his sense of humor”hes my hero.

Learn more about the healing power of humor by visiting Karyn’s website. And if you’re looking for great nursing humor make sure to check out the Journal of Nursing Jocularity Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory

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