Ten of us performed on stage and told our stories of cancer survivorship -- our 2nd Act.
Here is the YouTube link: (10 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HtorQASOZE&index=4&list=PLpLFxEhyh8789KW6IFp4T5kRjcAFFq8qN
Friday, June 10, 2016
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Life According to MaMa La Verne (a.k.a Cancer and Comedy)
I was once called the EverReady Bunny.
That was B.C. (before cancer).
I am
now the Velveteen Rabbit.
My
life is now filled with things that bring me joy: painting, writing, tai chi, my husband Carl, my children, my friends,
my grandbabies, being a patient advocate, a political activist, and dabbling in
comedy.
Why comedy?
comedy
(def.) = a performance, play, movie, novel, etc., in which the central motif is
the triumph over adverse circumstances that is meant to make people laugh
So how
did I go from being a serious university professor and researcher to dabbling
in stand-up comedy as MaMa La Verne?
Well the answer is simple. You either laugh at your horrific situation and find
humor in it … or you spend your time crying your eyes out. – not to say I
haven’t done both. The truth is that cancer patients need the laughter because
humor is therapeutic. It replenishes our souls and helps keep the love and
gratitude in our lives.
Trying
stand-up comedy was on my bucket list as soon as I reached remission. I needed
to laugh, so I decided I would take a joke writing class at our local Tempe Center for the Arts with comedian
Tony Vicich. Then I took a stand-up
comedy delivery class from Tony. I performed three times as MaMa La Verne. I
truly do not deserve to be called a stand-up comic. I am a stand-up dabbler. My goal is to use humor as a therapy for
cancer patients. My greatest joy with comedy has been to see others learn to
laugh at life.
Then
one day one of my aspiring comedian friends Diane confided in me that she had
been diagnosed with a blood cancer and was going through the medical tests. I
guess it is no longer a secret. LOL. I looked at her and said, “We are going to
put together a comedy duet and perform for cancer patients. We can say things
to them that only cancer patients can say to each other, because we have a
demented sense of humor. She chuckled. My brain started clicking away …
Hmmm. So I thought I would
lose my hair during treatment, but my hair turned from straight to wavy for two
years. It was my husband who lost his hair. (LOL)
So
Monday Diane and I are meeting at the local U.S. Egg for a think tank session.
It will be therapeutic.
LIFE ACCORDING TO MAMA La VERNE:
I have
10 life lessons to share.
1.
Attitude counts
It is
the only thing you can control in your life.
I
often get asked if a positive attitude helps in the length of time one survives
when battling cancer. A scientific study
found that positive patients do not necessarily live longer than grouchy ones,
but the people they live with have a better quality of life. (LOL)
2. Live well and choose to be happy.
Don’t just survive. We are more than cancer
survivors.
Surviving has nothing to do with being happy.
Survival is on the lowest level of Maslow’s
Pyramid.
Choose to be happy.
Do not be a victim. Do not let cancer define
you.
I
am not the Cancer Lady. I am La Verne, who happens to be battling a
thing called cancer. And for Halloween I
am going to dress up as a lab rat.
3. Show gratitude and love.
“Gratitude
is the sign of noble souls.” – Aesop
Practice
gratitude and love every day because it is an antidote for taking people for
granted.
4.
Laugh or smile every day
If
gratitude is the antidote for taking people for granted, then laughter is the
antidote for turning a diagnosis of cancer into a triumphant life.
Laughter
has many benefits – physically, mentally, and gives people an overall sense of
well-being.
One
scientific study found the use of humor leads to an increase in pain tolerance,
because it releases endorphins that help control pain and decreases stress
hormones.
Now my
brain is clicking away again …. So I try to laugh or smile every day because
I know that when I die, I am going to heaven. I have thought about going to
heaven for the climate and to hell for the company.
6. Live today
People
who live in the future are often anxious because they worry about things that
haven’t happened yet. Living in the past becomes a problem because it robs you
of the opportunity to enjoy the present. It allows you to avoid dealing with
issues in the present.
7. Simplify your life.
There is a silver lining to having cancer.
I used to have a difficult time telling people, “No.”
Now I just say, “I have cancer,” and they don’t ask me
to do anything. I should have used that excuse years ago. LOL
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8. Avoid toxic people
Surround
yourself with people and things that bring you joy.
During my journey to
remission in my clinical trial some insensitive people would ask me, “Are you
sure you really have cancer? You don’t look sick.”
I guess that’s why they
call blood cancer the invisible disease. If you have it, you want the person
who asks you those types of questions to disappear.
9. Form a support system
It’s important not to do
this cancer journey by yourself. Friends are important. They are like bras.
Keep them close to your heart and here for support. (LOL)
10.
Let go, but do not give your power away to cancer.
Living
with cancer is a constant dance between holding on and letting go. Meditate. Do
Tai Chi or yoga. Listen to music, Paint. Write poetry. Run. Dance. Whatever
helps you to center yourself.
In the end what matters most is how well you
lived, how well you loved, how well you learned to let go, and how much you laughed.
Monday, April 18, 2016
My 2nd Act
2nd Act
May 22, 2016 at 2pm
Mesa Arts Center
Mesa, Arizona
Performances by 10 women who have survived cancer.
• Always inspirational
• Sometimes humorous
• Sometimes irreverent
Ticket proceeds will fund grants for cancer survivors who are working on their second act.
Here is my intro:
La Verne Abe Harris, is a university
professor and artist, who uses her voice, her writing, and her art to inspire,
bring joy and heal other cancer patients and those who love them. She lives with
love and gratitude for her husband Carl, her children, her grandchildren, and
her friends.
I feel very honored to be one of the 10 selected to tell my story of my survival. I plan on being inspirational, humorous, and of course ... a little irreverent. I hope that those of you who live in the Phoenix area can join us for the Sunday afternoon.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Living Life
I have not been present lately on my blog and that is
because I have been joyfully living my life. The only reminders that I have
cancer are those three blue pills I take every morning and a few side effects
that have become my new normal; among them is some fatigue and joint issues.
This winter I have had sinus issues that come with a bloody nose every day. I
am dealing with nail issues on three of my toes (Jublia to the rescue) and one
particularly bad bloody infection on one of my fingers. But it sure beats the
alternative. LOL.
According to the NIH blood work from January 2016, I am
still in complete remission. I will have a physical today with my local GP. My
bone marrow biopsy is not scheduled until this summer.
You see I have been busy living my life. I am the
grandmother of a precious new granddaughter named Ruby La Verne Harris. I was
touched so deeply when I found out my son and daughter-in-law named her after
me. It is one of the most thoughtful things anyone has ever done for me. I will
be forever grateful.
Every morning when I wake up and sit up in my bed, I count
the many blessings in my life. I am painting my blank canvases. I am flying
around the country telling my story to cancer patients, caregivers, medical
personnel, and cancer drug representatives. My husband and I have gone to see
our grandchildren play basketball, gymnastics, swimming, and perform the lead
role in a school play. I went to a line dancing class and could actually move. I
was having so much fun doing stand-up comedy and now another comedian and I are
putting together a Frick and Frack stand-up comedy routine for cancer patients.
She has blood cancer too.
I received a text today from one of my favorite university
graduate students. I was the chair of her graduate committee. I got her through
her Master’s Degree and part of her doctoral degree when I was diagnosed and
left the university. She and I connected because she was one of the few female
grad students in an engineering and technology environment. Hana is from Dubai.
I met her when a dear friend (another professor) brought her to my office to
talk to me, because we were both creative souls. She was a senior undergraduate
at the time and wanted to apply for graduate school. She was devastated because
another professor told her that she was not graduate-school material. I am
proud to announce that she was just awarded her PhD. Hana texted me this
message:
“Hi Dr. Harris! I just
defended my PhD and passed! You are the first one to know I passed -- before
parents, before friends! You are the reason I made it here today! I didn't
update anyone that I was defending today -- not even parents -- because I was
freaking out! I wish you were here today ... Thank you for believing in
me.”
Hana just filled my bucket.
On another note, I am getting my kitchen and bathroom cabinets
refaced. This may sound like a trivial thing to say on a cancer blog, but think
about what this really means. This means that I have things in my life that are
giving me joy and I don’t think about cancer all the time. At this moment in my
life I feel free and alive. It has taken me a long time to get to this point. Life
is beautiful. I am going to enjoy every moment while I can.
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