CANCER CAN FEEL LIKE A TICKING TIME BOMB

How do we cope with the feeling that our body has somehow betrayed us and we have a ticking time bomb inside of us? When a person is first diagnosed with cancer, he or she is numb. We all know people who have this awful disease, but can’t believe it is actually......

CANCER SURVIVORS : DO IT NOW!!

We will all eventually run out of time to do things. But for cancer survivors this sense of urgency is even greater. Almost every single cancer survivor I have met says that the one gift from a terrible disease like cancer is we learn to appreciate every single day. It is sad......

WHAT DOES CANCER RELATED FATIGUE FEEL LIKE?

How do we describe the type of fatigue cancer survivors feel? Here is one explanation. I have been battling a rare blood cancer for almost ten years now. Since it is incurable, I have also been battling fatigue for the same amount of time. Presently, I am on weekly shots just to......

IMPERFECTIONS BRING THE LIGHT AMONG THOSE AFFECTED BY CANCER

Sometimes the imperfections in life can bring an unexpected beauty. A famous mystery author explores this idea. PUBLISHED DECEMBER 28, 2019 I have used the books written by Louise Penny, a famous Canadian author of mysteries, several times in my articles. I am a huge fan of her work. What is unusual,......

PLEASE QUIT TELLING ME IT’S NOT THE CANCER

Many people have shared their experiences after a cancer diagnosis and treatment with me. I have several friends on Facebook, who mention a secondary cancer, a new diagnosis, or another medical problem that they feel is related to their cancer, but have been dismissed by both friends and professionals. However, I monitor......

BE A VOICE NOT AN ECHO!

A cancer survivor urges all of us to express our concerns, and assist each other through our individual and collective voices. Recently, I was shopping with a friend and came across a pretty sign that stated, “Be a voice, not an echo.” We stared at each other, I said I had to......

WHICH IS WORSE, CANCER OR TREATMENT?

A cancer survivor often contemplates which is the lesser of two evils – cancer or treatment? I know I have an unusual perspective on the question of which is worse, the treatment or cancer, due to my type of cancer. In 2010, I was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). I could not......

THE FINGERPRINT OF CANCER

My wonderful pastor has a saying that I listen to over and over again. He says each of our faith journeys is a fingerprint of that person. No other person has the same experiences, beliefs or goals and is indeed unique. Our shape, the development of who we are, how we feel......

THE FATIGUE OF CANCER

Fatigue is something that everyone has experience with, but the fatigue of cancer is something unique that only patients and survivors understand and try to cope with. PUBLISHED MAY 15, 2020 The dictionary definition of fatigue is: “a feeling of tiredness and exhaustion both physically and mentally caused by exertion.” So, every......

THE GREAT EQUALIZER: COVID 19 AND CANCER

COVID-19 and cancer are very different in how they work in the body, but the psychosocial challenges they present are also very familiar. I remember as a young child saying to my parents that it was not fair when a child died of cancer. My father who was a school principal and......

HOW IS REMISSION SIMILAR TO COVID 19?

My cancer journey, like everyone else, has been unique and it seems to get weirder by the day. I received two wonderful pieces of news during the COVID 19 pandemic. The first was that I am in remission again! My blood counts are stable and I feel thrilled, humbled, excited, and scared......

THE TEETER-TOTTER OF BLOOD DRAWS

Most of us never stop to think about how much information one little sample of blood can give us and our physicians. Since the pandemic, it has been a bit strange as I enter the hospital, have my temperature taken, and proceed to the Infusion wing of the hospital for my weekly......