Chestnut Rau Takes Break from SL Blog to Beat RL Cancer

The excellent Second Life blog of Chestnut Rau (who covered SL events for this blog with just as much excellence) hasn't been updated in quite awhile, but for a very good reason: In real life, she was diagnosed with cancer, but rather than turn inward as many are likely to do, she began blogging about the experience via her real life name, in a new blog called Edie Beats Cancer. Spoiler alert: She beats cancer, and learns some things along the way. Among them, to wit:

I do not have time or patience for any bullshit that does not pass my “cancer filter.” Does your earth shattering problem compare with cancer? No? Ok then a little perspective is in order methinks.

Hope you go here and wish her a full and permanent recovery, like I do now here.

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Comments

[Chestnut Rau]

Hamlet, I have been thinking about how to respond to this post since I first learned of its existence.

Thank you for your good wishes. Still, I do wish you had done me the kindness of talking to me about sharing my story with your huge readership before you did so.

Yes, I posted my words on the internet and everything after that is fair game. Realistically, I have no true right to feel violated by this post and yet I sort have exactly that feeling. There are plenty who judge me for holding a light up to my life at so sensitive a moment and there are others who simply think I am an attention seeking drama whore. So be it.

I am a writer. Writer, write. When I got my diagnosis I was reeling and I immediately started to write about what was happening as a way to hold my footing on the ship of cancer, which was rocking me hard. I shared the link on twitter in a moment when I felt so alone I thought I would drown if someone didn't grab my hand. The response was immediate and overwhelmingly positive.

Having said all of that, you are not Perez Hilton and I am not Lindsey Lohan. Your readers deserve more from you than this post and I deserve to not have my life turned into spectacle.