I’ve been thinking a lot about community these days — for one thing, Lucie goes to an alternative public school that is based on a expeditionary learning outward bound model.  This year, Lucie’s class expedition is Community, and we have been talking about it a lot at home. What makes a community? Who can be in a community? Is it geographic, is it like-mindedness, is it circumstance?

Obviously, in the case of the cancer community, and the lung cancer community in particular, our community began as one of circumstance — it seems like a pretty random group as cancer doesn’t discriminate. We are comprised of the young, the old, the “in-between” (I don’t want to say middle aged as I think I am smack in the middle of that!).  I’ve written before about how much cancer should or should not define someone’s self perception and meaning to others who don’t have cancer, but I am more and more intrigued and inspired by the bonds that shape our cancer community. I like to start with the statement, “If I did not have cancer…” and list all of the learnings, connections, events, and people that would not be in my life otherwise.

If I did not have cancer, I would not know Grandma Carol as well if we didn’t compare notes on treatments and wigs and room temperatures that cause us to share blankets at family functions. Dave, my boss, and I share being diagnosed with cancer on the same day (and we’re now on the same scan schedule). Rebecca Armstrong and I would not have rekindled our relationship as easily and as meaningfully without our commom cancer bond, and my jealousy at how quickly HER hair grew back…:-) I would not know Jack (Dr. West) my rockstar oncologist (he really is a rockstar — swing by GRACE’s Karaoke event April 24 and see for yourself!). I would not know Dawn Case (we’ve decided her son Sam and Lucie are destined to be married someday) and the other lovely nurses at Swedish.

Facing cancer together makes us a community that otherwise never would have been, and I truly feel my life would be less deep and fulfilled for that.