by Arielle Young

My foot hurts. Twitter is down... again. Scooter ran away from home after digging up the hedges. What? Brazil lost to Spain? Argh! I #blamedrewscancer for this... all of this!

And I can, because that's just what Drew Olanoff's website, BlameDrewsCancer.com, is intended for. Blowing off steam is a great, healthy activity, especially when you can blame it all on the cancer of Drew.

After speaking to the famous Drew himself (you can actually chat with him about stuff on his 'Learn More' page,) we asked him some questions concerning his struggle with Hodgkins Lymphoma, his sponsorship with LIVESTRONG, and skydiving.

SV: How did the people in your life react to your diagnosis of Hodgkins Lymphoma?

DO: The people who are closest to me didn't respond in any other way than action and support. They were in it with me from second one (and in some cases, before,) and haven't wavered since. Some folks were afraid. Cancer affects a lot of people, and some have shut me out of their lives. I don't ask why in most cases, but I suspect it's a personal reason. It sounds cliche, but you really do learn who your real friends are in a time of "crisis".

SV: Tell me how your idea for #blamedrewscancer.com originated.

DO: Before I was diagnosed, I knew I had cancer. The symptoms, the tests I was having... the doctors were offering their thoughts (which I appreciated.) Rather than freaking out, I decided to take it head on, and so I started blaming random stuff on my cancer. Just to condition myself to accept the fact, and use the word openly and freely. People still whisper the word cancer. I shout it, because it doesn't scare me anymore. We will beat it.

SV: At what point did you decide to turn the hashtag into a website?

DO: Right away, I wanted to turn it into a website. Part therapy for me, part wanting to educate others on what I was going through along with millions of others. I turned to my former coworker and good friend, Mike Demers in Seattle, and he said "Yes, absolutely." He is a Hodgkins survivor. He's been amazing. He made the site look and act the way it does based on a very simple idea.




SV: How did LIVESTRONG become the sponsor of blamedrewscancer.com?

DO: LIVESTRONG emailed me immediately. Their CEO, Doug, asked me if I needed anything; he asked me how I felt. Their support team jumped into action. Their community manager, Brooke McMillan, has quickly become one of my biggest heroes in the world. I decided I wanted to put our efforts in line with theirs and donate money directly to them through BlameDrewsCancer. I'm an official Global Envoy and representative of LIVESTRONG, and I am very proud and honored to be involved with them.

SV: This isn't your first experience in raising money for charity. Tell us about your twitter tattoo for Make-A-Wish Foundation.

DO: Make-A-Wish has always made me happy. The concept and the children who benefit from it show that the human condition is a wonderful thing, even when facing something as scary as disease. I decided to auction off a tattoo on my arm to the person who pledged to donate the most to Make-A-Wish. @MelanieMitchell pledged the most - $2,112 - and she won the spot and donated directly to MAW.

SV: How large a role has social media played in helping you cope with cancer?

DO: It's a huge part. The way I feel is that everything we use on the internet is just an extension of us. The people that I get to talk to on a daily basis, and the 9k+ people who have blamed my cancer for something, are people I would have never been able to meet in person. It's just statistically impossible. But here I am, talking to tons of amazing folks.

SV: Who would you say is your idol?

DO: My dad. He has a heart of gold and is a former police officer who cares about everyone unconditionally. Would give you the shirt off of his back and never ask for anything in return. He is also a cancer survivor. If I can reach half of that, then I've won at life.

SV: You mentioned that you're going skydiving. What made you decide on an activity like that?

DO: I saw a video on Tumblr. It looked fun and I have been horrifically afraid of it in the past. I said "Why not?" Team #BlameDrewsCancer wanted in and they did it with me. It was amazing.

SV: How has your diagnosis affected your overall outlook on life?

DO: I thought that I didn't take much for granted before being diagnosed. I was wrong. I really take nothing for granted now. Waking up, having a wonderful family and fiancee, having the best friends in the world, and being able to still eat swedish fish.

SV: What do you plan on doing this year for work, activities, family, etc?

DO: I work at GOGII, creator of the awesomely popular free texting app, textPlus. I'm the Director of Community, and they've stood by my side on this from day one. I was born to do this and I love what I do. As far as family, I spend as much time with them as I can. I will never be too busy for the people I care about ever again.

SV: What advice can you impart to those also in the fight against cancer?

DO: Fight back when it punches you. Punch back twice. Then kick. Then yell. Beat it into submission. You have cancer, but cancer doesn't have you.

Log on to BlameDrewsCancer.com and tweet with the hashtag #blamedrewscancer to... blame Drew's cancer. Why blame Drew's cancer? Because cancer needs to be beaten up and taught a lesson, and you can help beat cancer to a pulp with Drew. Take that, cancer. You aren't welcome here.

Special thanks to our amazing friend and courageous cancer-puncher, Drew Olanoff, for making this interview possible. Now, here's Drew and his team skydiving!