Big Black Bird: what depression after a cancer diagnosis feels like

Jeff Simmermon, a fellow cancer survivor, did a beautiful monologue about his experience of the emotional and psychological pain and shock that follows a cancer diagnosis. I know them feels, bro. Jeff explains:

This is a video of a story that I told to win a Moth GrandSLAM here in New York City in March. It's about how a cancer diagnosis makes all the dumb shit rattling around in someone else's skull fly out of their mouths — and how coping with the depression and PTSD that comes from the treatment can be as bad as the disease itself. Also, I saw a couple of horrible human beings have a breakup in a CT scan waiting room.

I blogged an earlier version of the monologue, but this is an updated form. And it's always timely, particularly for newly diagnosed cancer patients reading this blog who believe the hell in their heads is something unique to them. It's not. You're not alone.

A graphic form of the story also appeared in the wonderful book, "Post-it Note Diaries: 20 Stories of Youthful Abandon, Embarrassing Mishaps, and Everyday Adventure."