Wednesday, October 29, 2008

An All-Too-Real Sad Story

The Fat Cyclist is one of my favorite blogs, despite the fact that I have no interest in cycling (beyond watching the Tour de France, and the drug problems are pushing me past that). But for years, I’ve been avidly reading his posts because he was so funny and such a terrific writer.

Then “Fatty” (as he calls himself) started writing more and more—and more intimately—about his young wife’s struggle with cancer and how he and his family are coping with the ups and downs of that battle. It’s remarkable how you can read something on a computer and become so caught up in someone else’s life to the point of sobbing and grabbing for the Kleenex.

Now, he’s had to make the difficult decision to put his wife in hospice care. For people who think the internet turns us into isolated, unfeeling robots, check out the nearly 500 beautiful comments of well wishes that prove you CAN find community in cyberspace. But have the tissues nearby.

Work-in-Progress

DC-area author Leslie Pietrzyk explores the creative process and all things literary.