Mom's Cancer

According to Quintana Yuri, director of Global Health Informatics at the Harvard Medical School, it is essential to educate the community about noncommunicable diseases such as cancer and diabetes to prevent stigma and raise awareness of symptoms as well as the treatments of such diseases [1]. Mom’s Cancer shows a diversity of purpose as it is unique in its approach to addressing a serious medical topic. With its simple yet educational manner, Brian Fies serves to educate the public about lung cancer through his comic. The webcomic that dates back to 2004, which explains why it is a narrative as most older webcomics started with intriguing storylines [2]. In particular, the comic focuses on the author’s mom’s battle with cancer and the circumstances that he and his siblings had to go through to help her fight the disease.

This panel from Mom’s Cancer compares a person on chemotherapy to a person who is tightrope walking above a pool of alligators. The metaphor here simplifies chemotherapy and makes it easier for the audience to visualize. It shows how dangerous and painful cancer treatments in such a way that would still be appropriate for a minor to understand. It also helps empathize with cancer patients as well as their family members, hence building a community [3]. The author’s interactivity with the audience using his blog has further enhanced the purpose of his comic to be as real as possible with the journey of fighting a disease. The success of such an uncommon subject in Mom's Cancer was largely due to the web’s spreadability and interactivity.

1. Quintana, Yuri, and IOS Press. Advancing Cancer Education and Healthy Living in Our Communities: Putting Visions and Innovations Into Action, Selected Papers From the St. Jude Cure4Kids Global Summit 2011. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics. Amsterdam: IOS Press,2012. http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=489956&site=ehost-live

2. Kukkonen, Karin. Contemporary Comics Storytelling. Frontiers of Narrative Series. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2013. http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=623512&site=ehost-live.

3. Shifman, Limor. Memes in Digital Culture. MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 2014. http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=649171&site=ehost-live.