When the scarecrows first took their seats on this year’s hay bales in front of the Seed, I told my friend Jen that one looked like it had been playing the C-card. The C-card has been a source of humor and healing for both of us these last few months as we’ve recovered from our respective bouts with cancer. We were diagnosed within a few weeks of each other, Jen with Hodgkins lymphoma, and I with an early stage breast cancer. Her treatment was more extensive than mine (she’s often reminded me I don’t have to apologize for not having bad enough cancer), and although our situations were different, we have shared conversations, boxes of Kleenex, and yes, even laughter, in response to cancer. One of our favorite jokes is about playing the “C-card.” Although we’ve both maintained busy lives throughout the recovery process, on occasion something has come up where we were asked to do something we didn’t really want to do. In some cases, we’ve each said we really couldn’t do it because we were still recovering from cancer. The C-card.
So when the scarecrows went on display, I told Jen that one of them looked like it had been playing the C-card. No hair. It sat there for over a week and finally she said she’d fixed it up. I expected a wig or hat of some sort. When she asked if I’d seen it, I even went outside to check it out but didn’t notice anything. Finally I looked again and there on its vest was a small pink ribbon. That made me want to laugh and cry all at the same time. It was the perfect solution. After all it is breast cancer awareness month.
As the Seed enters C-week, the week of our biggest event, the Halloween carnival, there is excitement in the air. Many, including my friend Jen, are hard at work to make sure it goes smoothly, providing a fun-filled evening for all and at the same time, hoping to raise some money for the Seed. I am doing what I do every year, rehearsing like crazy with the Mystery Theater Players. Amidst all of the busy days and hilarity of hanging out with the cast, a part of me feels a quiet sense of relief that I’m feeling healthy again. It makes me happy to know that humor about a serious condition can be part of healing. And each time I walk past the bald scarecrow with the pink ribbon on its vest, I offer my appreciation to everyone on the planet who is working to raise awareness and find a cure, so in time no one will have a C-card to play.