Cancer is a human experience, not a battle won or lost

In the great spirit of man

I did not know much about Chadwick Boseman or the body of work he had done. In fact, when Black Panther was a box office hit, I was still thinking of other representative films as Fences, Hidden Figures and Moonlight.

His passing at 43 after suffering stages of colon cancer diagnosed from 2016 during which he exhibited amazing acting prowess in seminal films is not only commendable but a show of stoicism and human spirit under great life-threatening affliction and infirmity. In the great spirit of man are such fortitude and immeasurable strength.

Cancer is not a battle

When I had Kaposi’s Sarcoma, a form of skin cancer as a result of HIV complications in 2009, I was 43, each time I read of people dying from cancer I find it difficult to appreciate the narrative of losing the battle to cancer.

As we live with it and sometimes live through it, it is rarely a battle, we are not at war, that some of us have survived it is one of great providence with many other factors of medicine, medical care, probably good fortune and even state of mind, but I did not cross swords with cancer and leave it vanquished.

We are given stories to tell

I will not pretend to speak for others who have survived cancer as I have, but what I know was at diagnosis, I was given 5 weeks to live, if my physiology did not respond to the treatment favourably. The consultant, however, was confident that if I did respond well, it would be fine. In just 5 weeks, I will mark the 11^th year of my first session of chemotherapy.

Cancer is a scourge on humanity, maybe even a terror and terrorist as it ravages our bodies and we are left at the mercies of many things outside our control except for our human spirit that remains a force of life until our bodies give in to find eternal rest.

For me, I have been given a story and the way I tell it is, cancer happens, it is part of life, some of us live it to the end and others come through it, but until we are gone, we are still here, to some a hope, to others a light, that it does not have to end with just that.

All experiences are gifts to medicine

Any death from cancer reveals our vulnerability even more, to such a young man, there are no easy answers but the fond memories and tributes we can offer in recognition of his life along with the support and sympathy we can offer his survivors.

In everyone’s experience is also some new knowledge for medicine to give us all new hopes for survival. That is what gave my consultant confidence at my prognosis and that is why I encourage inviting medical students to my consultations. I am a story of possibility not of triumphalism over cancer.

May the soul of Chadwick Boseman rest in peace.

And I am telling you

The Queen

The weekend was eventful enough; I went out to see another film, the second in as many weeks. I enjoyed watching The Queen; being a monarchist, Ilyena Vasilievna Mironov (Dame Helen Mirren) made an excellent portrayal Elizabeth Regina II though I was not sure if it was really deserving of the accolades considering other performances like that of Dame Judi Dench.

Cherie Blair no doubt was seriously caricatured, her curtsies looking like she was about to break a leg, well, someone had to look silly in the film and only Helen Mirren really looked the part. Three hearty cheers for The Queen.

Dreamgirls

So, yesterday, even though I have not been that much of an Eddie Murphy fan, I had to see Dreamgirls and it was only showing at one cinema in the centre of Amsterdam.

We chose the 17:45 slot which happened to be a time when bubblegum chewing girls with voices louder than a freight train were free to roam the streets, Never Again! Said I.

As luck would have it, every automatic thing in the cinema had broken down, the ticket machine, the tiller machines, the cash registers at the tills and the pop-corn stands everything was lines and crosses on paper - what an evening, but it turned out right.

Jennifer Hudson as Effie White was a star and her rendition of And I am telling you I'm not going was a class act that brought the house down. Strangely, I first heard this song performed as a mime by a drag queen in London called the Skinny Bitch some 15 or so years ago, it was quite a spectacle, but the energy in the song was all-empowering, you could not but be moved.

Deserving accolades

In fact, being nominated for 24 awards on your debut as a film star and winning 16 including the Golden Globe, BAFTA and Oscar is testament to the fact that some of these so-called musical talent shows have no eye for pure and raw talent. Or rather like Curtis Taylor, Jr. played by Jamie Foxx said of the other star in the show, her voice had too much of a personality such that it could not be moulded into commercial success rather than a showcase of talent with genius and sonorous quality.

One other thing about Jennifer Hudson that should not be missed is her gratitude to her fans, the people who stayed true to her abilities as it all blossomed into what everyone now wants a part of.

Pause for deep thought

In her words quoted from the IMDB record of her quotes, I read this.

"In a recent interview, I was asked how I reconciled being a Christian with performing at events for my gay fans. I find it upsetting that some folks equate being a Christian with being intolerant of gay people. That may, unfortunately, be true for some, but it is not true for me.

I have talked often of my love and support of the gay community. I have said again and again that it was the gay community that supported me long before and long after American Idol, and kept me working and motivated. It is the gay community that celebrated my voice and my size and my personality long before Dreamgirls.

Yes, I was raised Baptist. Yes, I was taught that the Bible has certain views on homosexuality. The Bible also teaches us not to judge. It teaches us to love one another as God loves us all. I love my sister, my two best friends and my director dearly. They happen to be gay. So what? While some search for controversy, I hope that my friends and fans who know me, know where I stand."

There are probably a few big sermons, a call to humility and a moving message in there.

However, moving on, Dreamgirls was based on a Broadway show of the same name that first ran in the year Ms. Hudson was born and this was loosely based on the story of the Supremes, the rivalry of Florence Ballard with Diana Ross and the influence of Berry Gordy in the whole matter.

Birthday wishes

Somehow, I find that my outrageously handsome babyface kid-brother shares his birthday today with Diana Ross who is 63 and believe it or not, The Rt. Hon William Hague who clocks 46, once the leader of the Tory Party. I wish them all, many happy returns.

Nary a dry eye

Drag me into the first and I might see the rest

Being one not easily persuaded by the rave reviews and hype surrounding Oscar-nominated films or even ones enjoying great critical acclaim; one has finally given in to the excitement to the two recent trilogies of drama and action.

The Matrix and Lord of the Rings series were films one first watched long after the cinemas are ditched the influx for other new Hollywood servings.

In the case of the Matrix, one had opportunity of borrowing the DVD from a colleague at work and that suffered six viewings in quick succession over 4 nights. That one missed the theatrical release was like being in the midst of the news but not hearing the news.

One could not wait for the next in the series, which was, then another year away.

The Fellowship of the Ring which was the first part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy came into one's possession as a bundled-bargain of three Douwe Egberts filter coffee packs and a VHS video with Dutch subtitles.

One must confess there was not as much excitement to see the next instalment as one had with the Matrix. One did see the next two theatrical releases of the Matrix, which had the ingenious direction of them being filmed at the same time, and the road exclusively built for the chase scenes.

You will have to rob me for that

Shopping on Saturday, there are now three bookshops that cater for English books, Waterstones and the American Bookstore on Kalverstraat and the New English Bookshop on Leidsestraat. [The main tourist and shopping streets in Amsterdam – there are others but not for the middle incomer].

The latter offers affordable books more of the reference quality and not necessarily as contemporary as the other bookshops.

One has run out of decent bookshelf space and the furniture store beckons for a domiciliary makeover.

Anyway, one was in Waterstones and sauntered to the video section to view what could be purchased. One did not get to see the theatrical version of the Two Towers, second of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It behoves one to see that before the popcorn night for the Return of the King.

At €40 for the theatrical version and €60 for the extended version of 42 extra minutes on the version that went to the cinemas, one could be forgiven for thinking videos were like music that you listen to time and time again.

Nay! Videos might get a second viewing, music gets many more playbacks, apart from the extras in commentaries, reviews and other snippets of versatility, and the DVD from my perspective is hardly worth that financial outlay.

It is interesting to note that about 20 years after the Indiana Jones series, one can get the whole DVD pack for under €50 and watch at leisure.

No surprise the everyday person of regular film-going age would either go to the cinema or download the film from the internet than spend what could be term larceny on DVDs.

I, for one, walked into my local rental and got the extended version for an overnight viewing at €4, and was able to watch the whole film and one half of the commentary over 24 hours. €56 saved from acquisition and €5 saved from a theatrical viewing in the summer.

Cry me a river

Two days after watching the second of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, one was determined to catch the third being The Return of the King in the larger cinema halls.

In a rush to catch the bus to the station from the office, one had inadvertently booked a ticket in the wrong cinema at the Southern end of Amsterdam rather than in the centre – The Pathe group has a number of cinema halls around the Netherlands and allows for internet reservations of tickets with mobile phone SMS confirmations.

Getting into the city centre was a bit fraught because of some train scheduling problems and rare but increasing occurrence in theNetherlands.

Finally, one was just in time to get a seat in the main hall for a three-hour sitting, a serving of Coke and sweet popcorn with the inconvenience of a full bladder. Endurance and excitement what gives?

In the last 20 minutes, there were screens of reunion and happiness in view of the suffering that of the whole trilogy, the flood of tears from the macho men would float a whale.

For those in the know, whilst Justin Timberlake has a contemporary release of a track Cry Me A River, however, a 1953 version once also sung by Billie Holliday has more relevance.