Ben Morgan, son of the legendary Fr Ted actor Dermot Morgan, has chosen to open up about his ongoing experience with cancer in a blog.
The stand-up comedian has been diagnosed with Nodular Sclerosing Hodgkin's Lymphoma which thankfully, Morgan says is 'one of the most curable forms of cancer known to man.' This, coupled with his 'very healthy medical history,' leaves Morgan with a lot to be hopeful about.
Writing in today's Sunday Independent, Ben Morgan explains the emotions he instantly felt when the dreaded news was delivered to him.
I love Mike Murphy's laugh. As immortalised by Dermot Morgan: "Ha! Ha! Ha! Yais indeedy bai golly it is!" #LateLateShow
— Donal O'Keeffe (@Donal_OKeeffe) April 22, 2016
"When I was first told that I probably had cancer, I burst into tears. I couldn't stop crying and worrying because I had one of the most feared diseases in the world. I firmly believe that most of this emotional distress was due to the stigma surrounding cancer as opposed to the scientific reality of the situation which, while scary, is completely manageable in terms of stress and worry."
He continued by writing defiantly about how he longs to be able to speak openly about his condition:
"Like it or not, cancer will play an important part in my life over the next few months so f**k you if you don't think other people, regardless of their health status, have the right to make me happy and find humour in my plight. Walking on eggshells is not f**king helpful. It merely adds to the stigma and makes people feel worse. When you decide something is off-limits, it merely gives that word or topic an undue amount of power."
"Weirdly enough I feel much happier than I have in quite some time and I do hope that this high of being alive is something that stays with me. That is not to say that I am just grateful for being alive; the high is so immense that there are times when I feel like I could knock out Conor McGregor, times when, no matter what, I feel like I can do anything, come back from anything swinging."
Dermot Morgan on the cover of the RTE Guide 18th April 1986
Jackpot episode here.https://t.co/FYNyfuHMxy pic.twitter.com/S3BiNoDBZk— KillianM2 (@KillianM2) April 18, 2016
He also proffered some sage advice for all male cancer sufferers:
"Masculinity is not a core issue I wish to focus on, and it hasn't been a major factor in my very brief experience of cancer, but one point I really want to get across to men dealing with health issues is this: cry if you feel like f**king crying."
"The emotional distress of a situation such as this isn't just for nothing. It all counts towards making you a stronger person in the long run."
