A virus has
been spreading around Wenatchee, and Washington and the World lately. It’s a
different virus than we usually think of.
It’s a virus of the heart, spread by emotion and fueled by empathy. I am talking about a video created by Chris
Rumble at Seattle’s Children’s Hospital.
It's gone viral and it's spreading like a wildfire.
The video doesn’t do any preaching, other than the anthem-like phrase of the songs
chorus; “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!” It simply is what it is. Kids who have cancer. Kids who are singing. Kids who are dancing. Kids who are having fun. Kids who are being kids. Kids who are being kids who have cancer. The video is compelling. It draws you in.
When my mom
had cancer I studied up on it. I had
always thought of cancer as a malevolent invading army, as something evil that
has somehow taken root and is growing within you. That notion fits with my Hollywood imagery of
good vs. evil. That’s easy and simple to
understand. I think that’s the way the doctors look at cancer. I think they like the idea of doing battle
with the evil invader. It gets more
complicated when the cancer is growing inside your Mommy. I once grew inside there too.
You see, the
cancer is just cells that have gotten confused.
The same cells which grow into healthy tissue somehow start growing into
tumors. I love my Mom. I love everything about her and if the cancer
was a part of her, then how could I hate the cancer? How could anything that came from her be
evil? The cancer was just trying to grow
and live. Aren’t we all just trying to
grow and live?
My whole
attitude changed when I accepted the idea that the cancer was just another part
of this woman that I dearly love. It was
a part of her life, a part of her very being.
If I loved her then I loved the tumors too. It’s hard to love a tumor, but then love is
never easy and neither is life.
We are all
dying. We are all living. We all have pain. So much
depends upon being present, upon seeing and appreciating what’s right in front
of us, upon ordinary moments that become profound because you’re paying
attention to them. I think that’s
what draws me to Chris’ video. It
appreciates the beauty that he sees right in front of him, in a most unlikely
place.
P.S. My Mom is in remission, ya!
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