Today there are two men on opposite sides of the world, chronicling their experiences of cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Both are professional writers, one Australian, the other US-based.
I admire these men – Jonty Este and Christopher Hitchens – for doing what most men would never do; discussing in public, the dysfunctions of their bodies, and their emotional and intellectual reactions to life-threatening illness and the rigours of treatment.
As ever, Hitchens is grimly, ironically witty. Este writes with direct honesty.
My hope is that their experiences will enable more men to open up and share stories such as this, rather than suffering in silence and emotional isolation.
Jonty Este’s piece is here at Croakey.
Hitchens is published at Vanity Fair.
We wish them well, and hope that one day soon, men living with cancer will have access to supportive services and programs similar to those that their sisters with breast cancer have worked so hard to create.
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Image: Red Crabs by Tuli 100986, sourced at Wikimedia Commons, is in the public domain
Why are there crabs on this page?
In early medical times, cancer was noted to have a somewhat crab-like movement, with its hard tumours creeping slowly sideways, throughout the body.
You can find the word’s Latin, Greek and Sanskrit history and origins at dictionary.reference.com
Margi Macdonald 
Nice post, Margi- actually here in the US a handful of men are publishing their daily battles with cancer- even prostate cancer, and there are a few men’s groups too. As you said, the more men and women are able to speak out about their experiences, the more we will all feel supported and connected.
take care,
Lynn