Stupid Things People Say When You Have Cancer!Posted on Fri, May 20, 2016
Dear Family and Friends,
As promised in my last update, Kristin and I finished our movie, “Stupid Things People Say When You Have Cancer”! We filmed a bunch of our friends recreating all the crazy things people have said to me over the years, along with some of the wonderful things, and posted it online for you to watch!
We’ve gotten a wonderful response from people and cancer patients, who have been sharing it with cancer groups all over the world. We’ve heard stories from people about their experiences of the crazy things people have told them. There was one woman who told us it inspired her to finally tell her family she had cancer. But from all of them, there’s been a beautiful sense of community and helping others feel less alone in their fight. It’s been one of the most rewarding artistic experiences we’ve ever had.
And it’s funny! Did I mention it was funny?
If you like it, please share it! It’s been a labor of love and collaboration between Kristin as the director and driving creative force and myself as the cameraman, co-editor and the guy who keeps interrupting the funny parts. Our goal has been to reach as many people as we can, to make them laugh, help them understand, and just generally make the world a better place. We don’t like to think small.
On the health front, we’re sort of in a holding pattern after three radiation and two chemotherapy treatments. We won’t know until we can scan, which takes a few weeks before we’re able to see results, but the associated symptoms are lessening which is a really good sign this soon. There’s still a lot to do, and we are not out of the woods yet, but the doctors are feeling the immediate emergency has passed. We are breathing a lot easier right now.
At this point, it’s up to chemotherapy to get the other whippersnappers in line. Right now, we’re holding off waiting for my body to more fully recover before we do another one, but we’re hoping that will all happen soon.
I just finished a beautiful visit to my parents’ farm in Pennsylvania where I was recovering from my treatments. It was wonderful to be able to spend time with my family, and walking around in nature was a welcome break from the hustle of New York City. I’m back with Kristin and Izzy now, and ready to step up for whatever the next few weeks hold. I also plan to use CBD to relieve stress as part of my recovery journey.
Love to you and yours,
– Ben
PS: Make sure to watch all the way through for the super-special surprise scene at the end!
