Just had to share this with you as its been bugging me since it happened and I thought it might raise a macabre laugh or at least a quizzical eyebrow or two.
I thought the oddest comment I'd heard so far in response to people knowing about me getting MM was the one from an old boss of mine – tiny Jewish lady, energetic fireball, fairly high society – who met me for breakfast, leant across the table to squeeze my arm and said, 'Daaaaaahling! I hear you've had a touch of cancer?'
Which was slightly ludicrous given how hard (imposs) it is to 'shake off the touch', but it was well meant and did actually make me laugh (despite of course wishing like F*ck that I could just get over the 'touch of it', like a quick dose of the flu).
But then went to a 40th last weekend and someone came over – friend of a friend type of person – and asked me how I was. I said 'fine' in that 'its a party, I'm ok, let's just be normal' way. Then she asked for more detail, so I gave her a bit in a cheery way. And then she said….
'I DO HOPE YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DO A JADE GOODY, ARE YOU?'
So what the hell do you reply to that? I thought I must have misheard her, as my slightly rum-filled brain was processing her comment, trying to see the great joke or the funny side or the empathy – or something in it.
Ended up mumbling something about 'I do hope not' under my breath as I scuttled off. Christ people can be insensitive… or is it just that looking well now somehow makes people believe that I'm goin gto be fine somehow. Either way likening you to some poor cow that died within months of diagnosis, does slightly miss the mark, even by my 'push the boundaries' standards!
Anyway – feeling better for getting that off my snot-ridden chest. Off to go bark coughs like an enraged sealion at the Wimbledon Park fireworks x