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Month: July 2016
Humor Helps Cancer Patients Heal
When 28-year-old Oncology Nurse, Lexi Timmons works with cancer patients, which she’s done for two years, she notices what helps most is humor to brighten their spirits.
She also observes they receive a lot of greeting cards from well-meaning loved ones, but most are downright depressing instead of what they need most during this time, which is cheer. She realizes it’s not their fault because the majority of Greeting cards for illness in major retailers are typically glum offering sympathy, along with a Get Well Soon salutation. She could see her patients get sad as they open and read them.
That’s how Lexi got the idea to create a line of Greeting cards that make cancer patients smile, laugh and feel good. She calls them LUMPY CARDS. Everyone knows stress has a negative impact on your mind and body. When people have cancer, they need their immune systems to stay strong and humor helps diffuse stress. When someone is laughing they’re not thinking of being sick, even if it’s only for a little while. It’s a step in the right direction. Laughter is always positive, which is why we love Lexi’s idea and spirit. Sometimes, her patients inspire the cards.
Lexi says, “I love to crack jokes and so do my patients. I realized that when people are going through the roughest of times, it actually brings out the best comedian in them. It helps them cope and it also releases feel good endorphins in them, which are healing.”
Another inspiration was unexpected. In 2012, cancer hit home when her Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“My Mom is at her best when she is laughing and not thinking about her cancer. I knew this would help her too.”
LUMPY CARDS sure did make her Mom smile.
Laughter really is the best medicine
Her Mom Sherry says, “I just love Lexi’s cards! She has a knack for finding just the right line to make people feel better. When I was going through cancer treatment, and I would read one of her cards, they would make me laugh or feel loved. Her cards captured what I needed to hear at each stage of my treatment, and were neither too sympathetic or mushy. So many of the cards out there make you feel like your life is over now that you have cancer or you’re dying.”
Lexi writes the humorous cards herself, but would love to partner with some professional comedians, who would like to volunteer for a good cause and get credit on them.
There are a range of cards uniquely tailored for men, women, friends, family and spouses dealing with cancer and they’re reasonably priced at $3.99 a card.
Healthy Within Network and NewsMD give these cards two healthy thumbs up.
And so does the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation, who has this to say:
“Now THIS is interesting! A company that makes unique and provocative greeting cards for cancer patients. Lumpy Cards certainly doesn’t tiptoe around the topic of cancer. The animal selection is particularly cute.”
Way to go, Lexi. An absolutely beautiful person inside and out, like her Mom.
Here’s a link to Lexi on-camera talking about her inspiration for Lumpy Cards:
You can contact Lexi for an interview (Contact Us page on link) or order cards here: http://www.lumpycards.com
Maria Dorfner is an award-winning health journalist, and the the founding CEO of Healthy Within Network and NewsMD Communications. This is her blog. She has been working in Media since 1983 and began specializing in Health in 1993, creating and sharing original and trusted health content for healthcare consumers. Her award-winning health series and segments have been seen on NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, DISCOVERY HEALTH and more.
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