by Elaine Parrish

Created on: September 11, 2009

How celebrity cancer raises awareness.

The world is filled with knowledge. With science, history, and the human experience, everything that can possibly be known by mankind at this point in time is known. Yet, as individuals, we have only fragments and we do not even realize what is missing. Awareness is the first step in acquiring knowledge. First, we must know what we do not know.

Celebrities who share their cancer experiences give us that first step of awareness. They can reach hundreds of millions of people at a time with one magazine article, one news interview, or one television appearance. They are people that we 'know' who evoke empathy and the curiosity and desire to learn more. They are, also, the larger-than-life, bulletproof, golden children who are living out our own dreams. They make us realize just how human we all really are. If this can happen to them...

While raising awareness of the disease, of the preventative measures, and of the importance of being informed and knowledgeable, celebrities' cancer journeys can give us hope, courage, and comfort. Cancer can be a lonely and isolating experience - even when your life is filled with people who love you. The road ahead can seem endless and is often filled with pain, anguish, and darkness. It can be overwhelming, testing the bounds of our endurance and even the will to live. Watching, and/or listening to, a celebrity having these same experiences, refusing to give up, and rebounding time and time again can be greatly encouraging and uplifting for cancer patients. Success stories during the journey, and survival stories afterward, can be invaluable to the cancer patient.

Even when the end result is death, the celebrity who fought on, spoke of the importance of not giving up, or talked about coming to terms with mortality can give assistance to the cancer patient. Sometimes, just seeing what another has faced can give us the courage to work through our own inevitability.

As with most of life's struggles, one of the most important elements in the journey of cancer is hope. Hope emboldens our spirit and gives us strength. With every celebrity who comes forward, the public reservoir of hope is increased.

Fifty years ago (and long before), it seemed as though cancer was a death sentence. If there were any survivors, we did not hear much about it. Of course, back then, we did not talk about breasts, prostates, ovaries, and testes in public. Celebrities had to be perfect and the studio system of the Golden Age of Hollywood went to great lengths to promote and protect those images.

Usually, we only heard of cancer once the patient had died - if even then. Cancer came with a stigma, as if it were the victim's fault. "... see there, if only you had lived better..." Awareness has made us realize that cancer comes even to those who have 'lived better'. Many celebrities put forth a lot of time and energy to be fit and healthy. They can afford the best medical care and have a large stake in remaining pristine. Even with these advantages, we now see how many of them are afflicted with cancer. And even more, we see how many of them endured, survived, and moved forward.

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