War correspondent Leroy Sievers had seen his share of gruesome battles and war-torn lands, but this strong, tall, affable guy would be taken down not by a stray bullet, but by cancer. It's never fair when fate deals this blow. But Leroy used used his storytelling talent to give readers and listeners an account of this battle unlike any other. After reading his NPR blog, My Cancer, people would often comment that Leroy captured in words exactly what they felt. When he brought Ted Koppel to Johns Hopkins to film segments of the Discovery Channel's Living with Cancer documentary, he was greeted in the lobby and halls by fans of his blog.
The popularity of these and other blogs stems from many things -- our need to connect with others like us and take a few lessons from other people learning to cope with life-threatening illnesses. It's clear though that Leroy brought many of us closer together, and his wife, Laurie, is continuing his efforts in the Our Cancer blog. Laurie was recently interviewed by Joel Meares of the Columbia Journalism Review for a story on journalist-bloggers. The Cancer Report mentions Leroy's blogging days and others who have blogged through their disease journey. Share your thoughts here on these blogs and let us know of other blogs you read.