“The C Word” and this incredible blogging community

I am currently sat on my bed with a tear in my eye after watching the incredible BBC drama “The C Word” which tells the true story of Lisa Lynch, who was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and blogged her way through the process of treatment.

The drama was amazing, and really shows how outstandingly strong anyone has to be to go through something like that. Lisa put it all on the internet and found a community that supported and empathised with her in a way that someone who hasn’t gone through it simply can’t. She found friends who were going through the same treatment, and the same situation.

She wrote a book too, which I am definitely going to get hold of a copy of, which continues to help and inspire those suffering with cancer to this day.

Her blog is still out there for anyone to read (link below) and I think that is so incredibly admirable – particularly now that she has sadly passed away – it would be so easy for her family to have taken it down, so they don’t have to re-live it, or know that other people are reading about her bad days in her own words every day – but it’s still there.
More than that, it has been continued by a friend of Lisa’s because “‘Alright tit’ is no longer a blog about life with breast cancer. It’s a blog about life beyond breast cancer.” (This is a quote from a few posts after Lisa passed away, but is in fact a quote from Lisa herself.)
Toby, the friend who has taken over guardianship of ‘Alright Tit’, also added “It’s a blog about remembering old friends and discovering new ones. It’s about honouring someone who put us all to shame with electric writing and a work ethic that hovered between humbling and insane. And it’s all about us.”

This woman was going through the most terrifying, unpredictable time of her life, and in her words she shows such a extraordinary zest for life – I cannot comprehend the kind of strength that must have taken and how incredible and brave she must have been.

I don’t really have a point to this blog post. I guess I just wanted to say something about how moved I was by this BBC drama, and this extraordinary woman’s story, but also about how incredible the blogging community is. How supportive, helpful and accommodating everyone is. You enter this community knowing no-one and you meet some of the most genuine and friendly people there are. Even if it is just giving advice about how to maintain dyed red hair, it’s there! (Thanks by the way for those who did give me tips about this – the red is still intact – I shall keep you posted when my roots start coming through!)

I am still really new to this blogging thing. I only started in December, but it amazes me every day. Every comment on every post. Every time someone tweets a reply or a comment to me. And the bravery of some of the posts I read on other blogs. The honesty. We are all complete strangers, and yet, because we are strangers who share, we are united. And I count myself lucky to have found a community like this.