Why Me?

Magnificient article in the New York Times by Alice Lesch Kelly titled The struggle to move beyond 'Why Me?'

"Not long after my treatment ended, I found myself in a hospital elevator with a bald woman. I had no hair at that time, either, so we started to chat. (It’s amazing how cancer brings people together — I’ve had deep, 45-minute conversations with complete strangers in waiting rooms.).....Only when I accept the sometimes cruel randomness of fate will I be able to call myself a survivor."

It's not really an article. It's an outpouring of the writers' heart and mind. This piece brings together a lot of the parts which put together make for great writing. For starters, there's the fact that the illness strips away all the artificial layers of personality and leaves no gap between the writer and the writing. What you see is the writer, as is. Second is the issue of the need to find solutions. Some people relish challenges. Facing down problems is like nicotine, dangerously addictive. When you bump into a problem which refuses a solution, you fall back from science onto faith. You close your eyes and let a higher authority decide what's best for you - If only becuase there's nothing much else you can do about it. Which is the stage Alice Lesch Kelly finds herself in.

I have nothing to say to Alice about her cancer. I have nothing to say to Alice about how to face the issues arising out her health problems. All I have to say is, write. Write some more - A lot more. And enjoy it. Because this is the best you can do, Alice. And your best is darn good.

Alice Lesch Kelly is a freelance health writer based in Newton, Mass. and she is the author of masterpieces such as 'How chocolate helps your heart' and 'Tick-Proof Your Yard'