Comments on: After that day, your life is never the same. "That day" is the day the doctor tells you, "You have cancer."

After that day, your life is never the same. "That day" is the day the doctor tells you, "You have cancer."

Toekneesan — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:23:06 -0800

Journalist Leroy Sievers has lost his fight with cancer. He passed away Friday night. He was 53. His blog, My Cancer, and his commentaries on NPR, documented the progression of his disease while creating a community of those touched by cancer themselves.

By: chillmost

chillmost — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:39:59 -0800

By: By The Grace of God

By The Grace of God — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:53:20 -0800

. Holy shit, what an amazing blog. Why can't I be that honest?

By: Skorgu

Skorgu — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:23:05 -0800

By: Ljubljana

Ljubljana — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:26:46 -0800

While scrolling through the comments on NPR, I was amazed at how respectful everyone was being. I kept bracing myself for the inevitable lol u r dead! and was proactively feeling sorry for his widow, Laurie, who was sure to be reading them. But everyone stayed civil. Consistently. Not even a rickroll or something else that people conflate with humor. At first I assumed that it was just the people on NPR or that (maybe!) the internet itself had matured to the point where strangers wouldn't make jokes about a man's death to his widow. But then I saw that NPR reviews and edits all its comments and that all my hopes had been misplaced. Now I find myself bracing myself for tons of sympathy "dots" on Metafilter, and maybe the occasional "Who gives a shit? Thousands of people die in Africa every day!" comment. I hate the internet.

By: SPUTNIK

SPUTNIK — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:59:06 -0800

This blog comforted and engaged a lot of cancer survivors (including my wife). . Leroy, and good luck.

By: Smart Dalek

Smart Dalek — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:05:58 -0800

By: rmd1023

rmd1023 — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:09:47 -0800

i hadn't seen this before, and i'm sorry to have only found it once he was dead. i'm coming up on a couple of personal cancer-related anniversaries later this year (1st edition, 10 years this october. second edition sequel, 5 years this december), which is leading both to a lot of introspection and a lot of fear (since clearly i'm due again...). so i think i may spend a lot of time reading through this blog. Thanks for posting this, Toekneesan.

By: jepler

jepler — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:19:09 -0800

By: M.C. Lo-Carb!

M.C. Lo-Carb! — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:45:37 -0800

This made my morning sad. I loved his voice on the radio. .

By: MarshallPoe

MarshallPoe — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:49:39 -0800

. He was a great man.

By: msali

msali — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:11:42 -0800

Fuck cancer. Fuck it all the way to hell.

By: grabbingsand

grabbingsand — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:03:24 -0800

. A very brave and honest man. And his was one of my favorite voices on NPR. Dear Cancer, stay the hell away from Wade Goodwyn. No Love, Me

By: parilous

parilous — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:34:43 -0800

I heard his interview on Talk of the Nation as was floored by his candor and attitude. Soon after, I checked out his blog. Today, I'm left with a hollow, on-the-edge-of-tears feeling that I'm wasting all of these healthy moments of my life, while he had none left and was able to make more of a difference than I ever will. Where's the damn justice in that? .

By: sacre_bleu

sacre_bleu — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:11:46 -0800

. My wife was a faithful listener. I was led to hope I might one day, a long time from now, die so well.

By: lumensimus

lumensimus — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:42:36 -0800

Now I find myself bracing myself for tons of sympathy "dots" on Metafilter, and maybe the occasional "Who gives a shit? Thousands of people die in Africa every day!" comment. I hate the internet. How exactly are these equivalent? The whole dot tradition seems diametrically opposed to loudly declaring that a given death is insignificant. Not everyone has something appropriately public to say about a given person's passing, but anyone can nod in respectful and quiet acknowledgment. Thus the dot. .

By: found missing

found missing — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:49:33 -0800

This man was a treasure. "I've said I'm at peace with cancer, and where it will most likely lead. Sometimes I think it makes people crazy when they hear that. It doesn't mean I've given up; that I have looked at death and nodded, 'it's time.' Far from it. But, I'm at peace because I think I've done my best to make a difference. I hope when the real time comes, someone says that about each of us."

By: Artful Codger

Artful Codger — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:48:36 -0800

By: princesspathos

princesspathos — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:17:02 -0800

I loved his blog. From one resident of Cancer World to another: .

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:03:42 -0800

It seems odd to say this but after reading his blog today I love this man, Leroy Sievers, and am sorry he died. As a person surviving cancer I'm grateful to him for saying what he did. What a good man. I'm glad his writing is on the web and will continue to be enjoyed. He made the world a better place. My loving condolences to his family and friends.