It is very important to be aware of the words we use to communicate: however, most of the time we communicate with our body language. Silence is possibly the strongest way we can communicate with.
Today, 4th of February 2025, is World Cancer Day: one way or another, we all know what the big C is.
Communicate with sick people is not easy at all: especially if they are our beloved ones.
The word “they are fighting with Cancer”, “they lost their battle with Cancer”, are commonly used.
I respect these words, don t get me wrong.
However, I don t use them.
Initially I wanted to write down few words for Six Russian Girls that were dancing with Cancer few years ago. Back in the days, I sent them some gifts and to reply they sent me a picture of them performing for the Russian Bolshoi Chemotherapy ballet, in a hospital room. I really did not know what to reply back. So I stood up, took a picture of myself, put the best smile I could wear, and wrote them with pink Lego small bricks (it took me whole lunch break to finish that) the word:
Мир
This word means both: Peace and World/Community. A friend from Moldova was trying to explain me the meaning of that word once, such a waste of time! He was once calling me the Merciless. He told me actually he could not find an ounce of Compassion in me. He knows me well! 🙂
Anyway, turns out the Girls got the message exactly the way I was meant to send them. Not easy to explain. I will add that picture here.
We all dance in this life: at a point, music stops, and we all stop dancing.
So for Five of the Girls the dance is over, luckily One will receive these words, making sure his Brother translate them for her. My Russian is very basic, like her English. (They both have a lot of Courage).
After my initial thoughts, I started to remember every single person I met, loved, joked with, cried with (I always smile!),yelled at to raise from their bed, while they were dancing with the Big C.
I am talking about few thousand people. They became too many for me when music stopped for Michelle L. , I felt completely lost that day. 1st of July 2020. Stomach Cancer , On top of Covid Pandemic worst period. No one was talking back in these days, me included?
But few months before that happened I gave her the best hug I ever gave to a person since I was born. Wait, maybe the second best one 🙂 This is only for Vivi, she knows what I am talking about.
If there is such a thing as loosing too many people we dance with? Not sure after all. There are no mistakes in Tango. You just Tango on!
I asked my Godfather Franco B. to bless me one last time. He was crying when he did it. Leukaemia
He danced most of his life with this not-so-lovely Partner.
Gabriele M. did not tell me he had Leukaemia: he was from Palermo, a software Engineer. We were actually dancing Metallica songs together. His wife told me music stopped for him few months after.
Giuliana T. , my Godmother, Breast Cancer: she taught me the word Resilience. It was a new word for me, 20 years ago was not a very common word to use.
I told her she was like a Mother to me, mine was dead already. Zia Giuliana danced many years before music stopped-12 October, 2020.
Andrea B. 18 years old – bone Cancer: he was smiling to me when I last saw him. It took me 40 years to understand how could he smile in that situation. Bone Cancer is horrible, Morphine helps to a point. Now I know he was simply smiling back at me. Thanks Giorgia, you finally taught me that! Brain C. March 2024. I could go on forever. I love to dance. Even tough I gotta admit that growing old It has become very hard for me to dance alone. I have a terminal disease called life. It s harder now to make smile the children with C. If I am not happy, the Magic does not work unfortunately. Because children, they see our Soul, just like dogs do. But I am always happy anyway!
But now it s Time I leave communication to someone who is better than me with English words and to take pictures for sure! Very strong images, no one is forced to watch, seriously. Or to Listen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6ybU06LR5A
My words are not generated by any Intelligence, artificial or human. And Thanks to myself for sharing. Мир P.S. We all look gorgeous when all our hair falls out, I’ve got a blond wig handy, you never know. Can you Hear me Michelle? Such a Lucky Woman you were 🙂
