Just watched the premiere of Showtime’s new hit, “The Big C,” in which Laura Linney plays a woman newly diagnosed with Stage Four Melanoma. The plot revolves around her decision to “carpe diem” and forgo traditional therapies to live out her anticipated remaining year joyfully and sometimes frivolously. As the show’s writer says,
“in many ways, this series is not about cancer per se. It’s about living the life we want to live and not wasting our precious time!”
“Seizing the day” can be a good prescription for any human being, and I encourage it wholeheartedly (though not as foolhardily, perhaps, as she does, when she knocks down her porch and shade tree to spontaneously add a swimming pool to her small front yard!) However, I would remind viewers that while the most serious and often most aggressive form of skin cancers, melanoma can be treatable and when caught early especially with proper screenings does not have to be a death sentence.
Aside from that, it is good to see the disease brought to light. While there is not much apparent sidebar content or instructive information about melanoma on Showtime’s site, there is an alliance with the American Cancer Society that promises donations in exchange for viewing a clip of the show…a good approach to raise awareness of the show, for sure, but also for our passion: raising awareness about melanoma.
View Big C trailer to have $1 Donated, thanks to Showtime and American Cancer Society
And here’s a link to the Big C Facebook page in case you want to participate there (to be sent right to that page be sure you’re logged in on Facebook) and weigh in. Oddly, though, neither that Facebook page or the Showtime page for the show itself seem to provide any links to the More Birthdays Facebook page which they are supporting. That is a lost opportunity to drive more donations and align themselves deeper with the cause. Clearly, this is a “comedy that plays with dark and light tones.” And entertainment sells, but there is always more room for responsible education, even if via links from their site.
In terms of Cathy’s life expectancy, as depicted on the show, it is, unfortunately fairly accurate: The typical survival rate for patients with metastatic melanoma is six to nine months. However, the new drug you may have read about here in June and elsewhere is continuing to show some promise in extended life expectancy, if slowly:
Metastatic melanoma patients who took the drug demonstrated a median survival rate of 10 months, a 3.6 month improvement over those who did not take the medication.
No one is laughing about the seriousness of melanoma. But we all must just keep trying to find the joy, if even through television escapes.
