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Going For The Throat: 6 Word Thyroid Monographs
Going For The Throat: Written by Robyn Davis Hahn
I was listening to NPR the other day while driving to work when I heard an interesting story. (This is a statement I can make several times a week). On Talk of the Nation, the creator and editor of Smith Magazine discussed their 4th book, a collection of 6 word memoirs from submissions to the site written by authors known and unknown. Immediately, this popped into my head:
never the same again. thanks thyroid
Their idea is not unique. If you google “6 word” you will find blogs, contests, college exercises, and the like all attempting to boil down the essence of an idea, autobiography, feeling, or story down to just 6 words. It’s the ultimate short story (my favorite literary art form), a concentrated haiku, a condensed digest, and I am in love.
it all revolves around my throat
The origin of this enterprise is a bet. (Seriously, could the story get any better?), In the 1920’s, colleagues of Ernest Hemingway wagered that he could not write a story in just 6 words. Of course, Papa rose to the occasion, and wrote what he allegedly considered to be his best work: For sale: baby shoes, never used.
I couldn’t wait to get pen to paper (or rather, fire up the MacBook) and have thought of little else since. Dear Thyroid is a literary thyroid disease and thyroid cancer support site, right?, We have so many fantastic, creative, distressed, soulful, funny, uncertain, and courageous community members–and I am in awe of your letters every week. Having written a letter myself, I know the catharsis, and the effort that go into them, and we all heal a little with each addition.
I didn’t know I was sick
How would you describe your disease in 6 words?, Or how your life has changed? Maybe it’s a feeling or emotion that you can’t shake, or a quiet relief for an official diagnosis.
little white pill, please heal me
My challenge:, create your 6 word thygraph (thyroid monograph) and either post it in the comment section, on the forum, or email it to me (robyn@dearthyroid.org). Submit one, or a hundred. Submit one every day! Next week, Katie, Liz, and I will each choose our favorites, and I’ll ask my husband to choose one as well (a non-thyroid patient perspective). From these four semi-finalists, one will be chosen at random for a Dear Thyroid T-shirt.
let the thyroid literary games begin!
Tags: 6 word literary contest, conveying symptoms, endocrinologist issues, improving patient doctor relationships, literary contest, patient responsibility, Robyn Davis Hahn Health Care Writer, speaking with doctors, thyroid health, thyroid patient issues
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174 Responses to “Going For The Throat: 6 Word Thyroid Monographs”
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thyroids: why are so many sick?
life, re-directed, by one little gland
Did I mention being always tired?
Forgot. How many words are allowed?
We are on our 2nd page of comments!
This makes me very, very happy!
T4 is not a Terminator movie.
Cancer sucks! / being alive is priceless!
“T4 is not a terminator movie”… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
I am loving every single one of these entries!
Thygraph contest: hard to judge winner!
T4 is not a Terminator movie….that is a good one!
my thoughts have left the building…
didn’t ask for this; must deal…
I am NOT fat I’m hypothyroid
Thyroid cancer isn’t the “Good Cancer”
Six has become my favorite number!
(But not for my TSH value),
Seriously, these thygraphs are addicting compositions!
Did someone alert our Thyku-ist Mike?
I wonder how many I’ll do?
I could write these all day…
Even better if y’all do it!
Misunderstood and exhausted- not much fun!
It was winning, NOW I am!
What’s up, thyroid…what gives, already?!
Good grief- feeling like crap again!
Blessed, even with all this mess!
You may call me endocrinologically maladjusted 🙂
the book is, “it all changed in an instant”–i know because i’m proud to say i had one of my six word memoirs chosen to be in that issue.
yay!
my six word thyroid memoirs?
anticipating menopause so i’ll cool down.
thyroid:the little gland that can.
emotional, hot, chunky, balding–hello, thyroid!
Watch your back thysucking Hashimoto’s, Yo!
Quin,
How exciting! There are 4 books now, and several other sites doing similar works.
Ridiculously addicting, isn’t it?
thanks!! the upside was, i wrote it after having my ego crushed… so, a nice way to get over the whole thing.
and, yes, they are addicting…
The fourth doctor was the one
A Tiny Samuri attacks my Thyroid.
OMG! Wendy–I call my Hashi’s a “tiny Samuri”! How funny!
Hitting rock bottom again and again.
You say hyperthyroid, I say hypothyroid
I like this game, it’s given me something fun to think about today! Here are a few more I’ve come up with:
Neck scar makes me look dangerous.
Nodules, goiters, and tumors, oh my!
What would I do without Synthroid?
Just want to feel normal again.
Beeing awake is just completly overrated.
I want to keep you anyway.
Always expected heart attack, not cancer.
Terrified my memory leaves with you.
Why can’t I just fix myself?
Can’t sleep while I’m so tired.
I’ll lovehate you forever but goodbye.
First autoimmune disorder, then cancer, soon…?
Hashimoto’s almost put me on lithium.
Dear thyroid: you screwed me again.
What if I’m not the same?
Wish necks had zippers.
You stole my boyfriend and diploma.
He claims it’s not the cancer.
All summer I was losing it.
Wish I could leave me too.
Words stuck in my throat again.
I can see the tumor. F-ck.
They never use the real words.
Feel like I have fake cancer.
You’re up, you’re down, you’re leaving.
Stephanie’s entry “Feel like I have fake cancer” totally hits it on the nose. So sick of people acting like thyroid cancer is no big deal! So I’ll steal her idea and add:
Thyroid cancer IS a big deal!
No such thing as “good cancer”
HOLY GUACAMOLE! These last few have really been tough (in a good way). I can feel the pain! Let it go, let it go!
I love the Dear Thyroid community!
Found out today…I have Graves 🙁
you stole my income, what’s next?
Hashimotos+gallstones+insulin resistance=chaos!
my thyroid runs my life UNCONTROLLABLY!!!
Grave’s Disease….it’s a real BITCH!!
wanna scream but voice is hoarse.
Thycan robbed me of all my energy
What did I want to say???
I wasn’t crazy, I was undiagnosed.
You had me at Hashi… what?
My Graves ophthalmologist sucks lady balls
My nickname for Graves’ ‘the coffin’
My former shmENDO should shit death