Weighing how to cover a story about someone with cancer? Well, take a peek at how The Oklahoman and NewsOK.com are handling the sad but simultaneously uplifting tale of Jim Chastain, an author, writer and poet who is slowly dying from cancer – after thinking he successfully bested the disease a few years ago.
The coverage includes various online tools, starting with a blog from Chastain himself, who comes across as a patient, wise and peaceful man in his several posts about family, battling cancer and his overall view toward his fate. The insights are enhanced by several brief videos that allow us to watch Chastain as he navigates this terrible terrain at a party and in the hospital. There’s also one clip of his mom, who bravely describes her feelings.
As difficult as it can be to absorb all this, Oklahoman reporter Ken Raymond contributes his own blog in which he offers some first-person hand-wringing over whether to blog about Chastain or write regular newspaper stories. He also gets personal, though, as he eloquently relates his own experiences with cancer in his family and how it shaped his ability to get at Chastain and his story. There’s also a blog from a marriage and family therapist who discusses the difficulties in confronting dying and death.
‘Life Is Real: Writing the Final Chapters of Jim Chastain’s Life,’ is a tasteful and meaningful approach to telling one of life’s most difficult journeys. The newspaper and online site keep it simple and, in doing so, allow us to get know Chastain and, whether we want to or not, share the pain he feels, but also revel in the truly special moments that life sometimes grants us.
