The Emperor of All Maladies

Are you afraid of cancer? 

I’m really afraid. This is why. 

Last spring semester I took a course called: Newsworthy Topics in Contemporary Life Sciences. The class was divided into three units, and each was based on an award winning book. I read "The Stem Cell Hope” by Alice Park, "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer” by Siddhartha Mukherjee, and “And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic” by Randy Shults. I think that it was one of the most valuable and enriching classes I have ever taken. 

As tragic as it was, the unit on cancer was my favorite by far. I loved how the history of cancer is recorded in the book because it felt like I was reading a novel. “Cancer” was a character or villain that just wouldn’t die. In addition, I loved reading about how cancer perceptions and treatments have evolved. I finished the book so grateful for and in awe of modern medicine and the people who have endured cancer. 

 ...Now I think too often about getting cancer and what I would do. I don’t know if I could be as brave as the men and women I read about. Is there a cancer-specific type of hypochondriassm? (It probably didn’t help that it was during this semester that I was in and out of Brigham and Women’s Hospital for my own medical testing and treatment, or that leukemia was on the table for me for a few hours that felt like an eternity.)

All that being said, I think everyone should read the book! (Or listen to it. My grandpa loved the audio recording.) 

When I was in class, my professor announced that Mukherjee's Pulitzer Prize winning “The Emperor of All Maladies” was going to be made into a documentary by PBS. I remember being really excited about the release, but then totally forgot about it because it wasn’t for another year. Now it is available online! The documentary is divided into three two-hour installments (for six hours total). I just found it on YouTube and PBS and have been very impressed with what I have watched so far. My great aunt just finished the series and said it was fantastic.

Watch the trailer here.

While on the topic of cancer, this is one of my favorite celebrity campaigns against it. It’s from 2010. So much star power. 

None of this is to say that I think everyone should “fight” cancer when and if they have it, that everyone should become oncologists, or that everyone should donate to “Stand Up to Cancer.” I do think though, that there is so much value in learning about and appreciating the human experience. Reading and watching “The Emperor of All Maladies” has inspired me to have more empathy and respect for people. I am amazed by the human body in spite of its flaws, and blown away by the capacity of so many men and women to grow and transform in light of devastating diagnoses. 

May we all live long and prosper, cancer free. XO