after the loss of my sister, i've searched sky, sea, and land for slivers of happiness to buoy me through. in my life, i've sprinkles bits of glitter over the most mundane hobbies to try and make this whole living on thing worth it. as per usual, i can be very media-driven. for that reason, i want to compile this collection of film, music, and literature that has lessened the hurt of losing my soulmate to cancer so early in my life.

• alexa & katie

netflix's original series about teen cancer has been a huge help for me

• pan's labyrinth

more of a personal anecdote; still, if you think about it, a young child battling unseen monsters and dealing with heaps of trauma, loss, and pain, well. what is that, if not the experience of a child with cancer?

• the midnight club

mike flanagan's take on a palliative children's commune is walking a very fine line that i think went quite well. it's not exactly amazing, considering the greatest chunk of this series is stories within stories. that being said, the ending where ilonka makes peace with what comes after the crossing of the veil was quite touching. i liked it, and it gave me a sliver of hope.

• the cancer journals by audre lorde
• it's okay to laugh (crying is cool too) by nora mcinerny

personal memoirs on the matter that hit me hard

• reservation dogs
• the iron claw

not so much stories about cancer, but about loss. i consider both of these works to be of the quieter side, which is appreciated