The importance of being Carrie...

I was recently asked to participate in a Carrie Fisher tribute night for a live comedy talk show called Mental Illness and Friends. The host of this delightful show is someone I consider my cousin. She has battled bipolar disorder for decades and speaks openly and frankly about her fight. Because of this openness, she has helped destigmatise this condition and helped others who are struggling to find a kindred spirit. 

It should come as no surprise that my cousin's inspiration is the late Carrie Fisher, a lovely woman who was forthright about her struggles with mental illness and addiction. She was (and still is) a hero to many. My cousin was not a Star Wars fan, but she likes to say that she became one because her son fell in love with the series as a little tyke. It also didn't hurt that as a comedian, she found Carrie to be hilarious. Because she is.

Now, as we've discussed, I pretty much live in the Star Wars universe and once upon a few years ago, I had the occasion to spend a little time with Carrie Fisher. I've told that story before so you can find it here: Carrie Fisher: my moment with a legend.  It's a great little story and I recommend you check it out. Anyhow, I've long admired Carrie, her sardonic humour and her sassiness, so it was here that my cousin and I found common ground. 

When I fell ill with Multiple Myeloma, I found myself moved to share my journey with others. It started off as a way to keep loved ones in the loop, but I discovered that it helped some folks in that audience find some inspiration and my blog posts became an unintentional advice column to them... I mean, if that cancer guy can get through the day with a smile and laugh at the absurdities of his disease, why can't I get my ass out of bed and stop being sad/angry/confused about something that's going on in my life? 

The more messages I received from people about the affect my blog was having on them, why not keep talking until somebody tells me to shut up? That hasn't happened yet, so thank you for that. 

But for me, I drew inspiration from both Carrie and my cousin. Without both of these courageous women leading the way, I would've never found the inspiration or the outward bravery to share my story, which has allowed others to share their stories with me. 

And because of this, we learnt the importance of being Carrie...