Did you know that every single year 40,000 children will undergo treatment for cancer? Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among children across the United States. Those are terrifying, heart-stopping statistics, but what if there was a way to find joy in even the most traumatic experience? I know – that may sound a bit grim, but what if?
I recently came in contact with a wonderful lady by the name of Tara Geraghty. Really, our first conversation was a chance encounter. We are both part of a female entrepreneur group, and she put out a request looking for bloggers. I responded & over the last couple of days she & I have been frequently communicating back & forth. Through our conversations, I learned that in 2009 Tara’s daughter, Emily (then: aged 3 and a half), was diagnosed with High-Risk Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. When faced with this diagnosis, Tara realized she had an opportunity to make this a fun experience for her only daughter. So that was what she did.
You are probably thinking to yourself – despite the trauma & fear, how on earth did she make this a fun experience? Well, you need to hear it straight from Tara.
Laughter in the space of cancer. It is hard to fathom that, right? We have been told our entire lives that laughter is the best medicine. Think back to a time that you laughed so hard you cried; remember what that felt like? It was likely one of the best feelings you have ever experienced, right? It only seems natural that we would want to feel that even when we think things couldn’t get any worse. But if we are going through a tough time, how do we find it in ourselves to laugh?
- Find joy in the smallest events
- Don’t be afraid of doing something silly
- Don’t take yourself too seriously
- Give yourself permission to laugh
Laughter has been proven to improve our overall emotional wellness. That is because when we laugh, our body naturally releases those feel-good hormones (endorphins) & relieves stress. There is absolutely nothing bad that comes out of laughter.
I will never forget a few years ago when my Uncle Mike was sick in hospice, nearing the end of his life. Several days before he passed away, there were about ten of us visiting him. He was not heavily medicated at the time and was still awake, somewhat “with it”. One of my cousins asked for a few minutes alone with Mike, and when Mike recognized him, he shot the middle finger at my cousin. All ten of us erupted in laughter because for those few seconds, the sick, frail person Mike had become, disappeared & he was the Mike we knew & longed for. Laughing at something during that scary, sad time didn’t mean that we were happy for the situation we were it. No – we found joy in an otherwise sad, scary, & difficult situation. And that was just what we needed in that moment.
I am convinced we can all find some kind of laughter & joy in our lives. We don’t have to be at rock bottom, or going through the worst days of our life to realize the importance of laughter & joy. We can realize that right now. Then maybe, just maybe when we are faced with adversity in life, we will be better equipped to handle it differently because of the intentions we have already set in finding joy & laughter through any aspect of our lives.
Vagabond Texan 