THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MY BLOG. JOHN HAS RECEIVED GOOD NEWS YESTERDAY: HE CAN CONTINUE CHEMO-THERAPY AS HIS BLOOD RESULTS HAVE IMPROVED. MOREOVER, HE HAS RAISED NEARLY 7 TIMES AS MUCH MONEY AS ORIGINALLY MENTIONED IN THIS POST. CAN WE GET TO 100,000.00 BRITISH POUNDS? I THINK WE CAN. TO HELP ACHIEVE THIS THROUGH READERSHIP, I REPOST THIS ARTICLE HERE ON MEDIUM.
Originally I had planned to go running today. You know, for my health and all. But then someone else’s health became more important — and I don’t even personally know said person. To be honest, I know his Twitter account because I have been following and occasionally chatting with his lovely girlfriend Ella on Twitter. But he has shown the most amazing amount of strength and taken a good part of the Twitter-Universe by storm since his diagnosis, and just last night he started to raise money for the one organization that might be able to help him live through a bone marrow transplant. So far him and Ella have managed to raise 11.849.95 British Pounds for Anthony Nolan. (As of this moment, it is growing rapidly!)
A few years ago, the wonderful Tig Notaro was diagnosed with breast cancer. Back then, Ira Glass, host of This American Life, told her she should do a stand-up performance about it. In the Netflix documentary Tig said, she couldn’t believe Ira would suggest something like this. Fun and wit in cancer. Cancer is deadly. Cancer sucks. Tig did it anyway, and her 2013 performance was so successful, so painfully funny, and yet so sad, that it was released on a CD called “LIVE” (as in living) and gave hope and understanding to cancer patients all over the USA.
Back then, Tig’s fellow comedian and friend LouisCK was present back stage. He later stated:
Tig took us to a scary place and made us laugh there. Not by distracting us from the terror but by looking right at it and just turning to us and saying ‘wow. Right?’. She proved that everything is funny. And has to be. And she could only do this by giving us her own death as an example. So generous. — LouisCK
While I wish I would not have to say this, I think John is doing a very similar thing. So is Ella. It really got straight to my heart, what they are doing, and I think you should know about it and maybe you decide to do your part for John or any other future cancer patient yourself.
But let’s start at the beginning.
I have followed both Ella and John on Twitter for quite a while. I started interacting with Ella online probably somewhere in 2009 or 2010, back when I still lived in Brazil and she lived in Paris taking care of little kids. The stories she and her friend Nelia would tell about kid 3, the cat, and all the wine of Paris were so witty and lovely and so heartfelt — I just had to follow and answer and retweet and do all the things there are to do with twitter.
A little while later, I moved back to Germany and Ella moved to London. Not only did she start a lovely food blog, but a food blog where she turns hear daily experiences, anxiety and love, happiness and sadness into stories that seemingly inevitably lead into just the right recipe for the occasion. (Her blog is called Eating With my Fingers and you can find it here.) It didn’t take to long until Mr. John Underwood appeared in Ella’s tweets and blogposts and it turned out that he is just as witty (actually, more witty, sorry Ella) and fun to follow on Twitter. So I did.
And what can I say? I really got to like these two. While I cannot say in any “real” way that I would know these two, I have been following them and their writing for so long, that it really made me sad to hear that John was not well. John was not well for a while, before he actually went to his doctor — who had devastating news. As he described it on his own blog today:
The awkward thing about spending two months telling your girlfriend that she’s an idiot for Google-diagnosing you with leukaemia, of course, is when she turns out to be very nearly correct.
About a week ago, John was diagnosed with blood cancer.
Yet — and here comes the truly remarkable thing which made him take the Twitterers by storm — he never lost his spirit. He openly spoke about his diagnosis. He quoted jokes he had with Ella. Ella spoke openly about her fears. They coped and they probably coped better than anyone who (barely) knows them. And that’s when everyone around them came to support them, and rightfully so.
MarkyMarket brought sausages (and offered free ones to those registering for a potential bone marrow donation), friends organized blood drives, the Big Green Bookstore made buttons… and while some people wondered if you are “allowed” to look at it this way, if you can have a witty spin on cancer, if you can be so blunt and honest, the world somehow became a better place and helped John and Ella to raise an unbelievable amount of money in the shortest amount of time. (As I have written these paragraphs it is by now at £11,980.09! — Update for the medium post: £75,218.00).
I’m always going to do whatever I think is funniest. If something’s dark, I’ll do it. — Tig Notaro
If this is John’s way to deal with cancer, then I say it is the right way. The many donations and the support from all over the place is clearly a sign that I am not the only one who thinks this way.
I urge you to read his blog, to follow him on Twitter, and to make sure to read his post on his Donation page — If you can, please give (and I am not just meaning money here). Be inspired by his story and see whether you can donate blood or register for bone marrow where ever you are (see links below). If you can, help with a few bucks but know that giving blood won’t cost you more than 45 minutes and a day of alcohol abstinence and yet this already can save a life.
To donate, please use John’s fundraiser page on Justgiving.org!
Picture by John Underwood and Ella Risbridger as published on Twitter here.
Celebrating with ALL AVAILABLE HEADGEAR. And put the total up again, obviously. Oh my good gravy. pic.twitter.com/5iqYaJFftv
— John (@JM_Underwood) 4. August 2015
Here are some links to get informed:
Storify of some who donated — Read up to know what it is about
My original website:
