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Blogging Through It

8 Reasons to Blog - con't.

3. Set the tone.

A lot of people don't know how to talk about cancer. A blog gives you the chance to set the tone of your conversation about cancer and let people know where you're coming from. It can help them understand that you are still you: You have scary times and funny times. You find insight into life one day, but the next day life just sucks. By sharing your experience, it may help to shoo the elephant out of the room next time your friends call to say hi.

4. Get rid of your guilt.

It can be difficult to say no, but you have to when you're managing life with a cancer diagnosis. For Mabry, it's still difficult to accept she can't do things like bring a crockpot full of food to a friend whose father is in the hospital.

"I can post about how paralyzing it can feel to be in this situation and maybe people will get that," she said. "People can forgive me for things that they may not otherwise understand because they don't have the backstory."

5. Get a virtual pat on the back.

Sometimes you can use a boost. Blogs offer readers the opportunity to post comments in response to your posts. Bailey said she's received about 500 messages since she launched her CarePage in March. Sometimes they're messages of encouragement, but other times, they're just good laughs.

6. Document your experience.

This is a life-altering moment for you. It could be something you wish to document, particularly if you have young children who may want to learn more about it when they're older. If you're not sure you're ready to share your experience with other people, make your blog completely private and treat it as an online journal.

7. No experience necessary.

Mabry never felt confident in her writing. As a certified art therapist, she always considered herself a more visual person. But CarePages has changed that.

"It's interesting to write on my CarePage and not really care what my writing is like from a grammar perspective," she said. "I talk about what life is about and I don't really care about the grammar. It's funny, though; I get a lot of feedback that I'm an eloquent writer."

8. It's free.

Who doesn't like free stuff? Several services provide free blogging. WordPress and Blogger are among the most popular. Just be sure to check your privacy settings to be sure you're not sharing more than you want to. Chacon-Lontin uses a pseudonym and is careful not to post anything that would allow strangers to identify himself or his family. CarePages, offered through the Cancer Center, is designed specifically for patients and families. For more information about this service, stop by the Patient & Family Lounge, on Level 1, or the Patient Education Resource Center, on Level B-1, or call 734-615-5216. You can also use this phone number to learn more about the Cancer Centers Creative Writing Program.

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This article first appeared in the Winter, 2009 issue of Thrive.    Read it! -- opens as a .pdf document.

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