100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (75 page)

Perk #75

Cancer Made Me a

More Interesting Person

H
ave you ever seen those Dos Equis beer commercials featuring “the most

interesting man in the world”? They are a riot! I have discovered that

one of the cool things about having cancer is that it makes me a more inter-

esting person. Following my diagnosis, any time I went out in public, I

noticed people whispering and

looking my way, and I am

pretty sure they were saying the

words, “Florence Strang” fol-

lowed by “cancer.” (Just mouth

those words for yourself and

you will agree, they are pretty

easy to discern, even for the

novice lip reader.) I don’t know

many of these people, but they

all suddenly seem to be inter-

ested in knowing ME. Since my

diagnosis, I have been asked to

speak at fund-raising events,

high schools, various group

meetings, and even formal din-

ners. Not to mention, I have

been interviewed on TV, the radio, and by several magazines. It is like cancer

has turned me into some kind of a local celebrity!

I used to be introduced something like: “This is Florence, she is a psy-

chologist.” Or “Meet Flo, she is a fabulous gardener.” However, that changed

after my diagnosis. Now, I am likely to be introduced as “I would like you

to meet Flo. She is a cancer survivor.”

I 315 J

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

When my youngest sister, Lynette, came for a visit shortly after I was

diagnosed, she insisted on taking me out for a night on the town. Lynette

has the type of personality where she can light up a room just by walking

into it. (It helps that she looks like a Barbie doll.) She is very friendly and

will talk to everyone she meets. For example:

“Hi, I’m Lynette, and this is my sister Florence. She has cancer.”

“No way! But she looks great!”

“Yeah, really. She’s bald underneath that wig, though. Ya want me to get

her to take it off and show you?”

“Ah, no, that’s okay, I believe you. Can I buy you two a drink?”

And as we went from bar to bar, these people seemed to be truly inter-

ested in hearing my cancer story. Which led me to conclude that cancer has

made me “the most interesting woman in the world.” Well, if not in the

whole world, I think I am safe in saying I am the most interesting woman

in Newfoundland. Or at least the most interesting woman in Lewin’s Cove.

(Oh, wait a second, there is that lady who lives on the next street who is

part-hoarder and has 100 cats . . . my sister Sherry.) However, I can say with

100 percent confidence that cancer has made me the most interesting

woman on my street!

If nothing else, a cancer diagnosis

certainly makes you more “interesting.”

HEALTH TIP #75

Interesting Facts

Here are some interesting facts to go with your interesting personality:

●
Besides being a cancer-fighting food, two weekly servings (about 1 ounce

each) of dark chocolate (70% cacao or more) led to a 32 percent reduc-

tion in heart failure for women. Just to clarify—that’s two
weekly
servings,

not
daily.
(
Circulation Journal:
AHA)

Perk #75: Cancer Made Me a More Interesting Person

317

●
A firm handshake and a brisk walking pace are

accurate predictors of a longer life expectancy.

(UK’s Medical Research Council)

●
Countries that celebrate full-figured Santas have

higher rates of childhood obesity. (
British Medical

Journal
)

●
Americans take about 5,117 steps a day—far

short of the expert-recommended and healthy

10,000 steps. (
Medicine & Science
) Wear a pedo -

meter to check yours!

●
Sleep-deprived people have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol,

which can lead to weight gain, diabetes, and depression. Six hours is the

minimum amount of time for hitting the sack; seven or eight is even

better.

●
Daily alcohol (two servings a day for men, one for

women) can benefit the cardiovascular system by pre-

venting clots that can lead to heart attacks and strokes,

and raising the HDL (the good) cholesterol. But there

is no health benefit if you save up your daily intake for

the weekend (damn), and drinking more than two drinks

a day has a negative effect. (University of Berkeley
Wellness

Letter
)

●
Standing burns 50 calories in 45 minutes (but that’s no

reason to stand in line for donuts and milk shakes).

●
In the 1950s doctors in America and the UK actually encouraged their

patients to start smoking to improve their lung function. For the tobacco

companies these were the “good ole days.”

●
It takes smokers three tries on average to quit smoking. Why not make

it your New Year’s Resolution—for the third year in a row? Never quit

quitting!

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

●
90 percent of your lungs are composed of water, which is a good reason

to put this book down and drink some. (USA.gov) Just make sure it’s

chlorine filtered.

●
Americans eat more than 20 billion hot dogs per year. Nitrites are chem-

ical additives used to preserve and add flavoring to hot dogs and other

lunchmeats. Once in the body, they react with body chemicals and turn

into cancer-causing carcinogens. (
Why Millions Survive Cancer: The Suc-

cesses of Science by Lauren Pecorino
).

●
Men who have never married are up to 35 percent more likely to die

from cancer than those who are married. In terms of surviving cancer,

women also benefited from being married, but to a lesser extent. (BMC

Public Health 2011)

Statistics can be fun and can provide

you with “ice breakers” at parties.