Surviving Cancer with Humor | Lisa Giessert | TEDxVeroBeach
## Speaker Context - Speaker: Unknown (speaking about personal cancer experience). - Setting: Event where the speaker was invited to talk. - Framing: Intended to educate on gynecological cancers, contrasting with the focus on breast cancer awareness, and pivoting the narrative from "survivor" to "thriver." ## People - Speaker: Self (the speaker) + Qualifying detail: Had ovarian cancer, is a cancer "thriver." - Family members: Daughter (had a wedding planned). - Family members: Husband (is bald). - Family members: Son (commented on speaker's pain level during a hospital assessment). - Friends: Friends who have fought breast cancer and won. - Friend: Friend in a cancer support group + Qualifying detail: Suggested the term "cancer thriver." ## Organizations - N/A ## Places - World + relevance: Speaker was traveling around the world before surgery. ## Tools, Tech & Products - TFs (initials): Unknown function; used in reference to TED Talk rules. - White board: Used in the hospital setting for patients to write notes for nurses. - Pink sneakers: Mentioned in October (related to breast cancer awareness). - Teal sneakers: The speaker advocates for this color in September. - Port: Device used by the speaker for maintenance infusions. ## Concepts & Definitions - Ovarian cancer: A type of cancer that is hard to diagnose and often diagnosed when spread. - Silent killer: A description applied to ovarian cancer, noting it kills most people who get it. - Ned: Stands for No Evidence of Disease. - Gynecological oncologist: A specialist doctor who treats gynecological cancers. - Weeds in your garden: The speaker's analogy for ovarian cancer (the surgery is to remove the weeds, chemo/radiation is the spray). - Cancer thriver: A preferred term for the speaker, defined as prospering and flourishing, in contrast to "survivor." - Survivor: Defined in the context of the speaker's reading as being "all about death and destruction." - Thriver: Defined by the speaker as being about "prospering and flourishing." ## Numbers & Data - Three: Number of surgeries the speaker underwent. - 2014: Year the speaker was diagnosed with cancer. - 2016: Year the speaker had a recurrence. - Six (6): Pain level the speaker reported to the nurse. - 10: Pain level that the speaker's son assessed her as appearing. - Five years: Time period related to the five-year relative survival rate data. - Stage four: Stage of the speaker's ovarian cancer, meaning it had progressed. - Three weeks: Frequency of the speaker's maintenance infusions. ## Claims & Theses - It is difficult to diagnose ovarian cancer, and most of the time it is pretty far spread by the time it is diagnosed. - The concept of "cancer survivor" is too negative, focusing only on death and destruction. - The speaker believes focusing on "thriving with positivity" is the appropriate outlook. - Breast cancer awareness has brought a lot of money and a lot of awareness to a disease that is very preventable and very treatable. - The speaker encourages people to teach their young children the proper anatomical terms for their body parts. - Being able to ask for help is one of the hardest things to do when ill. ## Mechanisms & Processes - Diagnosis of cancer: Can happen accidentally during surgery, such as gallbladder surgery leading to ovarian cancer discovery. - Process of cancer recurrence: Occurs when "little seeds" are left within the body after initial treatment and grow back. - Treatment for ovarian cancer: Involves surgery (to remove weeds), chemotherapy, and radiation (like weed spray). - Analgesic assessment: Nurses assess pain levels, which can be contradicted by the patient's facial expression. ## Timeline & Events - Pre-2014: Speaker was planning her daughter's wedding and traveling around the world. - Event timeline 1: General surgeon performed gallbladder surgery; ovarian cancer was discovered. - 2014: Speaker was diagnosed with cancer and had a surgery to remove innards, followed by chemotherapy. - Two years later (2016): Speaker experienced a recurrence. - Current state: Speaker is "ned" (no evidence of disease). - Ongoing: Speaker undergoes maintenance infusions every three weeks. ## Examples & Cases - Gallbladder surgery: The general surgeon performing surgery that unexpectedly led to the discovery of ovarian cancer. - Baseball bat hitting the head: How the speaker describes the feeling of being diagnosed with cancer. - Picture of the speaker without hair: Example used to discuss hair loss after treatment. - Gynecological oncologist's analogy: Describing ovarian cancer as weeds in a garden. - Husband’s anecdote: Husband joked that he gets ovarian cancer every time he eats bad food (used to debunk the idea that diet is the sole cause). ## Trade-offs & Alternatives - Pink sneakers in October vs. Teal sneakers in September: Proposed change for awareness campaigning. - Cancer survivor vs. Cancer thriver: The choice between a term focused on survival against death versus one focused on flourishing. ## Counterarguments & Caveats - Not every cancer diagnosis must be preceded by knowing where the cancer is located; the speaker mentions ovarian cancer is "kind of an interesting type of cancer." - While many people assume the causes of cancer are related to diet, the speaker notes it is "not about what you eat." - The speaker accepts that men may not like talking about breasts. - The speaker acknowledges that while awareness is good, some cancers are "not as much easy to diagnose." ## Methodology - Collection of data: Speaking about personal history, diagnoses, and treatments to educate the public. - Anatomical demonstration: Using a diagram to show where various parts of the female anatomy are located. ## References Cited - None. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - The speaker recommends visiting a gynecological oncologist. - The speaker strongly recommends women past childbearing age, even those who have had a uterus removed but still have ovaries, to get checked. - The speaker advises women to get an annual internal exam, regardless of pap smears. - The speaker advises people to send funny cards or just show up to support someone undergoing treatment, rather than sending stinky flowers. - The speaker's goal is to encourage others to embrace "thriving with positivity." ## Implications & Consequences - If ovarian cancer is not caught early or managed, the prognosis, as suggested by survival rates, is not good. - If people do not know correct anatomical terms, it could lead to difficulty explaining symptoms to medical professionals. - The emotional impact of cancer is profound, sometimes leading people to hide their struggles due to fear of pity from strangers. ## Open Questions - What should be done if a woman is past child-bearing age and has had her uterus removed but still has her ovaries? (Implied need for consistent yearly checkups). - How does one truly find out if a condition is cancer, rather than just treating symptoms? ## Verbatim Moments - "Oh that's the noise i get whenever i tell somebody when they say oh you're a cancer survivor what type of cancer did you have did you have breast cancer no i didn't have breast cancer" - "I like the baseball bat in the head because that's really what it feels like." - "I'm what we call ned which is no evidence of disease." - "My son looks me straight in the eye and says mom you say it's a 6 but your face is a 10." - "We do it with love." - "For me, thrive is about prospering and flourishing so to me that's a positive thing." - "I choose to live my life with happiness and positivity."