by Karyn Buxman

Cancer. It's not the type of thing you ask for -- usually.

Who'd want it? A life-changing, sometimes life-ending disease. Cancer's so scary that there are people who won't say the word aloud...but I was saying it regularly, begging God to let me be the one with cancer. My son, a strong, smart, energetic 22-year-old junior at the University of Missouri, woke up one morning with an aching chest. It turned out to be a malignant tumor, and the start of my most fervent prayers. "Please. I've had a great life. Let it be me -- not him."

I can't even describe that time in our lives accurately. It went by in a blur -- and not the fast paced blur you enjoy while you rocket along the roller coaster's tracks, but a confusing, often terrifying inability to really understand and deal with what was going on. There were months of chemo. He had surgery. His hair fell out.

The boy who could empty a refrigerator in the blink of an eye now wouldn't eat -- everything tasted metallic, and he had no appetite. And through it all, we wondered: would he ever have a girlfriend, a family, a life...

I'd spent twenty years studying therapeutic humor. I"d written about it, spoken on it, spent years of my life convincing colleagues, peers, and audience members that laughter plays an important role in our lives. Now, it was time to walk the walk. It was hard, I won't kid you about that. Finding something to laugh about during one of the toughest times in our lives sometimes required conscious effort.

Yet sometimes, thankfully, if we would just let it, it would just happen. We'd find ourselves laughing at the situations life presented. Humor was a saving grace for all of us.

There was a time for tears, but there was a time for laughter. Many times, actually.

Some of the best laughs came from David's roommates, who dubbed him Captain Cancer. One was a red-headed Italian color-blind art student. She saw Davids newly bald head as a marvelous canvas and begged to decorate it with colorful markers.

He also found support at work. He worked as a bouncer at a local bar. The man he worked the door with was known as Tonto, and my son was The Lone Ranger.

Following one of his treatments, a bunch of his buddies visited the bar. Afterward, David announced his new nickname, bestowed by his friends: Chemo-sabi!

Many patients long for humor during their healing process.

Allen Klein, author of The Healing Power of Humor, surveyed patients who were terminally ill about their feelings about humor. A vast majority (80%!) wished to laugh more. They wanted more humor -- from the people around them. They also wanted the freedom to use humor themselves.

Humor can be used proactively, to help heal both the body and the spirit. To do this, you can:

Play: Make a Play List. This is a list of 10 low or no-cost things that are fun for you. Then, when you're not feeling well, do something from the list. You dont wait until you feel better to play. You play and then you feel better.

Make sure you have a stock of toys"Magic 8 balls, Koosh toys, whatever makes you smile"available.

Surround yourself with pre-packaged laughs. Collecting funny books, magazines, movies and cartoons is a great way to keep the humor going. Ask people to tell you their funniest story or most embarrassing moment. Save jokes and funny stories.
Spending time enjoying your collection can perk up even the toughest days.

Choose to surround yourself with people who share your appreciation of humor. The world is full of serious, downbeat folks who view the world through mud-colored glasses. Leave them alone, as much as possible: that type of mood is contagious, and you don't want to catch it! Ask people to make you laugh -- and do your best to make them laugh. Surround yourself with joy as often as possible.

To live well, you must laugh. That's one of the pivotal lessons I learned from my son. He's cancer free now, for four years. And he's also my inspiration: for his courage, his gentle spirit, and of course, his sense of humor. It's my honor to say that he's my hero.

Learn more about the (http://www.karynbuxman.com/) healing power of humor  by visiting Karyn's website. And if you're looking for hysterical
(http://www.journalofnursingjocularity.com/)  nursing humor make sure to check out the Journal of Nursing Jocularity Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber
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