One of my dearest friends, who has been a hero to me for much of my adulthood and who continues to be an inspiration to myself and others, Greta Christina, has been diagnosed with cancer.

As far as cancer goes, it’s the good kind. She has endometrial cancer and they caught it early, so odds are that a hysterectomy will get Greta cancer free without chemo. But it’s not a sure shot by any means, and saying you’ve got a “good” cancer is like saying you got the best delicacy in the dumpster.

Even “good cancer” ain’t cheap, especially not for someone who just reorganized her life to be a writer. Greta will now have to cancel a slew of speaking gigs to have the surgery and to recover. Canceling those engagements is not a decision Greta could’ve made easily, because she will be out the book sales and honoraria from her speaking gigs that she needs to make ends meet.

It also means that I won’t get to see my friend at Skepticon this year as I’d hoped. That feels kind of selfish to say, but it’s the truth. Greta’s a crowd favorite everywhere she goes. Her writing increases the value of much of our lives, and I can assure you that being around her brings a happiness to my life that is scarcely available elsewhere.

It’s times like these that I’m glad there’s no god to curse for his malice.

There’s also no god to which we can appeal to help our friend (even if there was, how much sense does it make to appeal to the same god that created cancer and watched Greta get it?). And so, as always, humans must band together to help each other. Greta is asking for any donations to help her get through this. I’m not rich, but I’ll match up to $100 in donations from the readers of this blog. Just leave your donated amount in the comments and I’ll take your word on it. (Go here to donate)

Also, if ten readers here subscribe to Greta’s blog, I will subscribe as well. (Go here to subscribe to her blog for $5 each month for a year) Again, just note in the comments that you subscribed and I’ll believe you.

It all adds up, and if we all do what we can then Greta’s struggle with this will be reduced by whatever the worry for money is worth. After all that she has given us, I’d like to think we can give her that.

I learned a long time ago that life wasn’t fair, but it should never cheat this bad.