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A College Class on Cancer
Bob Riter
bob@crcfl.net
I recently taught a course at Ithaca College called “The Cancer Experience.” There were sixteen students in the class and nearly all had some personal connection to cancer, most often a close relative with the disease. The students didn’t quite know what to expect from the course, but they wanted to learn about cancer and to somehow process their own experiences. And it says a lot about their character that they were willing to sign up for a class that met from 4:30 – 7:00 every Monday evening.
While some sessions dealt with the science and the treatment of cancer, we focused on the human experience of the disease. To that end, I invited a variety of people who have been diagnosed with cancer, their family members, and their caregivers to share their stories with us. We also took field trips to the Department of Radiation Medicine at Cayuga Medical Center and to the Nina K. Miller Hospicare Residence.
The speakers were terrific throughout the semester. They spoke from their hearts and sincerely wanted to help the students understand what it’s like to live with cancer. But their approaches were all so different. Some were angry about having cancer, others called it a gift. Some sought out alternative treatments and others said, “I don’t believe in that crap.” Some said that positive thinking was essential while others were negative in outlook.
One student summed it up this way, “Cancer is almost like a religion: people have different views towards the science of it, how to prevent it, and which methods are best to fight it.”
I’ve never thought about it in those terms, but she’s absolutely right. People approach cancer in the way that works best for them and convincing them otherwise is like challenging their religion.
For some students, the class provided an opportunity to be with others who had also lost a relative to cancer. One wrote, “For me, this class was good medicine. I needed to see that there was a happy side to cancer, and that some cancers stories end with happy endings. I needed to see that people could learn and share from each other, and that with something like cancer, no one is alone. The last experience that I had with cancer left me broken hearted. This second one has given me hope.”
From the Ithaca Journal, May 29, 2008
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