Why Cuck Fancer.?
It’s simple. In no way shape or form when you hear the words “you have cancer,” do you ever feel a sense of joy, relief, or excitement. IT SUCKS. You immediately think about the worse case scenario and you don’t remember a word your doctor says from then on. That’s only part the movie 50/50 had accurate: the slow daze Joseph Gordon-Levitt went into when he was told he might die.
So why do I say Cuck Fancer.? Because F*** Cancer is kind of vulgar for an 18-year-old kid embarking on a journey that he or she isn’t sure when it is going to end. For a kid who eventually wants to get hired by a big firm or start his own business and knowing that those words may hinder his chances via Facebook and other social media platforms. For the young kids whom I want to support but fear that a 13-year-old kid’s parents may not let them wear that bracelet. I am not sure why I think that today because I see this “I love (insert any inappropriate word you can think of)” bracelet everywhere. Is the word fuck worse than that? I guess so.
During my first chemo treatment, my doctor walked up to me, didn’t even ask me how I was doing, and put a hat on my head. It appropriately said “Fuck Cancer.” OK, how cool is that? I was 18, wasn’t able to go to college, and I was sitting in an infusion room with a 70-year-old man next to me on a respirator. Not only did my doctor get it, he changed my experience with cancer from then on. Little did he or I know that I would fight it two more times til I was 23 and start a non-profit organization from his sarcastic gesture.
So that’s what I did. I started a non-profit organization called Cuck Fancer. I felt that everybody could wear this bracelet. Either you completely understood what it meant, or like most people at first glance you think it is for a man named “Chuck Fancer,” who we are fighting for. It doesn’t matter as long as you wear the bracelet. There is a period at the end of Fancer (.). Why? Because it is a statement. I am not just casually saying it, I am STATING it.
I want to help young adults who do not have the resources that I had while battling cancer. I was fortunate to have loving parents, good insurance, and a wealth of support from communities I wasn’t even apart of. Unfortunately, not everyone is as privileged as I am. As young adults we need to be educated on treatments that will help our quality of life and help us get back to the life we once lived. For goodness sakes, we are YOUNG adults, diagnosed before we are even 20. What did you do before you were 20? For us cancer survivors, our world was turned upside down and we have this crazy thing called perspective that most people shouldn’t have to realize until they are older.
In the end, cancer just sucks. I have been to two funerals in the past eight months for people that I have known who have lost their battle to cancer. One of them was 13, the other was 50. The age is irrelevant, but what is relevant is that cancer does not care your age, height, ethnicity etc., it is ruthless. So as a young survivor I want to do what I can to make the lives of those fighting that much easier.
I hope my organization can give light to young adults who cannot see past their fight. I want people to see the lime green bracelet and not only let it stick out for what it looks like, but for what it stands for. I am on the other side of cancer now, as of this past April, I was finally told I was in remission. But I will never forget what cancer tried to take from me. For not only did it fail, I persevered. I took from cancer what cancer couldn’t take from me: my passion, my love for life, and my strength.
So if you are struggling with your battle and reading this article right now, just know we understand and get how hard it is. Cuck Fancer. cares and wants to help make the dark days better.
CUCK FANCER.
If any YA needs help, I am here. Visit my website at www.cuckfancer.com and email me. Join the movement. We are unique, we are strong, we are Young Adults.
Follow Ben Teller on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/@benteller
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