It started as a joke when a friend I've never met, called me out on social media, by beating me to respond, and then challenging me in front of everybody on the whole world wide web!
On Twitter, he and I are bantering over scars. The scar down the middle of Jim's chest screams "Open Heart" while my "Whipple" slices right down my belly.
"Hey!" I write, "let's start the 'Scar Club for Men' and do a calendar."
"I'll be Mr. September," Jim instantly responds. "That's my birthday month."
"Potential Spam, another Twitter pal I've never met, chimes in and Direct Messages his photos, claiming October as his month.
We had a laugh and quickly moved on to the next thing.
Months pass.
Then, out of the blue, Jim calls my bluff, post the "Mr. September" calendar photo, with the challenge, "Hey Micheal Elliott! How are we coming along with the “Men of Twitter with Scars” calendar?"
And there's Jim's sexy pose of his heart surgery scar.
"Well damn!" I laugh.
The reason I like Twitter is there are some great people who make me laugh. Sometimes, there's a serious conversation, and I use the term loosely, but it's mostly playful banter.
A few of the folks I find joy with everyday somehow, though I don't know how, these "friends" I've never met, gift me with laughter.
It's a marvelous diversion from the terrorist attacks that cancer and treatment wage on my mental health. Laughter is the best medicine they say and I'm relentless about finding more.
Jim makes me laugh out loud and so I must answer his challenge
I need help, asking Sarah to take a photo of me but she's getting ready to go on a run for her own mental health. It's best she focus on that.
Che's more than excited to stage my photo shoot.
When Sarah finishes running and is cooling down, we show her the shot.
"Oh good Lord," Sarah snorts. "Really? Holding a glass of wine?" before looking at Che to say, "Great job Honey! It's beautiful!" before resuming with me, "what in God's name are you doing?"
So I tell her it was Jim's idea.
Shaking her head, Sarah knows what I'm doing. If anything's happened over the course of my cancer, is that Sarah and I spend much more time laughing together than we ever have. You can't really have enough if you're really going to "live" with cancer.
"Have fun," my wife laughs, shaking her head as though I've lost my mind or something.
"It's better than Jim's," Che says, affirming herself.
So that's how the Scar Club for Men was founded.
As far as the calendar goes, 9 volunteer models are still needed to complete the project.
