I was once taken to task for reading The Daily Telegraph. There I was coming from the newsagent, bumped into a lady, not a member of St Paul’s, who after a cheerful ‘Good morning said: ‘Oh you don’t read The Telegraph do you?’ Well yes. Sometimes. I don’t like to think that I am so stuck in a particular political or social mindset that I cease to be open to any other views or perspectives. I find it most alarming when I hear normally sane and intelligent people parroting party lines when a good dose of the BBC’s Reality Check might be more in order. And anyway should not seriously minded Christians be aware of all strains of thought that are swirling around in the public consciousness in these most confusing times? I think it was C.H. Spurgeon who in the nineteenth century said: ‘We have to be aware of all the tunes the Devil is playing.’
Now that that is off my chest I confess to buying The Telegraph last Saturday and was heartened to discover that its Christmas Charity Appeal is for Leukemia Care, a charity that exists to support sufferers and to raise awareness of this form of blood cancer. The story of Hannah Mahoney, a 28 year old, who has been receiving treatment over the last year for a particularly aggressive form is highlighted. One of the welcome aspects of Leukemia Care’s work for her is that it has put her in touch with other sufferers who are blogging or Instagramming. Their experiences and the ‘hints and tips’ they share have been a help and encouragement. She says: ‘There’s an active cancer community online, but it’s like Hogwarts - people don’t know it’s out there. When you receive a cancer diagnosis, you can feel alone and isolated, but there are people who have been through something similar, and they are always there to offer tips and encouragement.’
To an extent I can agree with this. Myeloma is a relatively rare form of cancer, to some extent I suppose a cousin to leukemia, and to be in touch with other sufferers and to know that this is a shared experience can be an encouragement. I have to say though that sometimes those experiences can be a bit disheartening when they have a less than positive outcome. But on balance it’s always good to face the reality of the condition and to know what may be ahead of you.
By and large I have found contact with other sufferers to be helpful and supportive, especially with those who have successfully come through the stem cell transplant. There is no getting round it, it is a most demanding experience - nausea, hair-loss, fatigue, weight-loss, openness to infection - but to speak to people who have been there and come through to a good quality of life has given me hope for the future. One fellow sufferer who is regularly in touch is Father Pat Currie of St Joseph’s in Milngavie. What are the chances of two clergymen living less than 30 yards from one another sharing the myeloma experience? Pat has been thorough it, stem cell transplant and all and continues to minister to his people with his innate cheerfulness and deep personal devotion. His regular visits to Gabrielle and I have been a real spiritual and psychological boost. It makes me think of the Apostle Paul’s words:
‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.’ (2 Corinthians 1: 3-7)
That’s a strain of thought that I hold on to. I had never heard of myeloma until I was diagnosed. It’s still not easy to find people who have been through it and there is such a wide spectrum of experience. I sometimes feel that I am getting off lightly when I meet people whose experience has been catastrophic. But my prayer is that if it falls in the providence of God that I come through this that I might use the ‘comfort’ I have received to ‘comfort those in any trouble’. I don’t know if Hannah Maloney has any Christian faith but she has discovered the value of this in her own experience. So yes I read The Telegraph, not often perhaps, but I am glad I read it last Saturday and discovered a fellow sufferer not out the woods by any means but travelling on with optimism and grateful for what she calls the Hogwarts community she has discovered out there. Those who have received comfort and now are eager to share it.
