Miriam Mutebi: Find humor even in tough times

Miriam Mutebi shared a post on LinkedIn:

“My dad has often reminded me to find humor even in tough times.

His maxim, ‘Don’t let your circumstances dim your light; your response matters. Celebrate the small wins and never suspend your joy.’

No surprise, cancer is often associated with doom and gloom, but some patients, navigate their diagnosis with remarkable resilience and a sense of humor that lightens the load for themselves, and everyone around them.

Humor can be a powerful tool in coping with a cancer diagnosis.

Take the story of one patient, who had been trying to lose weight for years. When she started chemotherapy, her friends joked that the upside was ‘she’d finally shed some pounds’. Excited, she went shopping and completely revamped her wardrobe with ‘size 8’ outfits.

However, following treatment, she didn’t lose any weight. Laughing, she said, ‘Now I need to give these clothes away—I was lied to!’ This story references one of the many common myths I referenced in an earlier post about chemotherapy. The misconception that ‘chemotherapy leads to extreme weight loss’.

Another young lady, who happened to find a lump in her breast panicked and having a Damascus moment decided to give up her slightly ‘wild’ campus lifestyle and focus on prayer and her studies.

After six months of not seeing a change in the lump she came to the hospital for tests and during her initial visit blurted out, ‘Kwani sikufi?’ (How come am I not dying?), which left everyone in stitches. The fact is, 9 out of 10 lumps are not cancer; she ended up having a benign lump.

We reassured her and guided her on how to perform a self-breast exam and discussed breast awareness to avoid future panic. We later joked about being conflicted about telling her the truth, seeing the gains she had made in her improved lifestyle and campus grades!

The above underscores how much fear and negativity surround cancer diagnoses, yet it also shows how a little levity can help shift perspective.

No doubt, reframing goes a long way toward having a positive mindset.

We had this particular patient, who approached treatment with a silver lining in mind and who was about to have an immediate breast reconstruction using her tummy at her cancer surgery.

‘I didn’t know that this hanging tummy would have a use; I finally get the tummy tuck I’ve always wanted because of this surgery, yay!’ Though dark, this kind of humor was a lifeline, helping her stay in the right mindset to tackle the challenges of long-term treatment and care.

Humor in the face of adversity doesn’t diminish the seriousness of cancer; it simply adds resilience.

It is the oil that smoothens the cogs of health system interactions. It helps patients maintain a positive attitude, manage side effects, and face the mental and emotional challenges, that come with diagnosis.

For us on the frontline of cancer care, we are reminded daily that even in the darkest times, a little laughter can go a long way.”

Source: Miriam Mutebi/LinkedIn

More posts by Miriam Mutebi on oncodaily.com

Miriam Mutebi is a Breast Surgical Oncologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. She is also the Vice-President of East Africa of the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), treasurer for the Kenya Society of Hematology and Oncology (KESHO) and on the Board of Directors of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). She is the co-founder of the Pan African Women’s Association of Surgeons and is part of the Kenya Association of Women Surgeons.