Barbara Tako

Pain management or cost management? Which local surgical anesthetic will your hospital use?

Breast cancer survivor grieves the loss of her mom to metastatic breast cancer and considers how she keeps deceased loved ones in her heart.

Recognize birthdays, but most importantly, keep hope, says a breast cancer and melanoma survivor.

A breast cancer survivor's thoughts on her eight-year cancerversary.

One melanoma survivor offers advice for Skin Cancer Awareness Month.

How much is there to look forward to? Breast cancer survivor reflects on her mom's breast care treatment choices.

Breast cancer and melanoma survivor shares what she learned from helping her mom cope with breast cancer.

My "foobs," slang for the fake boobs on my chest to replace the ones removed by a double mastectomy, are under construction.

As a cancer survivor, please know you are not alone and for your own sake as well as theirs, reach out to fellow survivors.

It is tough to cope with a cancer diagnosis, and I want to give a sincere, but belated, thank you to my oncologists and oncology nurses.

As a double mastectomy with reconstruction patient, I made the stupid decision to try to wean off pain medication only two weeks after cancer surgery.

Breast cancer survivor tries to decide if she is spoiled and ungrateful or, if like many cancer survivors, she just needs a little safety valve to blow off steam.

Breast cancer survivor with the recently discovered PALB2 genetic mutation talks about what self-care might look like before, during and after her preventative double mastectomy.

Cancer decisions get to be made based on each person's unique situation.

Why does shame seem to go along with a cancer diagnosis, and how can we help each other?

Sometimes worry is good. It keeps us alert and safe. Other times, we kick into worry overdrive and it is helpful to create a tool bag of ways to calm ourselves.

Breast cancer survivor facing her double mastectomy struggles with tears and hugs.

Two-time cancer survivor works through her feelings as her double mastectomy approaches.

Breast cancer survivor with the recently discovered PALB2 genetic mutation discusses her upcoming prophylactic double mastectomy with reconstruction.

There are productive ways for cancer survivors to live with the ongoing fear of recurrence.

"I have grown as a person since becoming a cancer survivor," says breast cancer and melanoma survivor Barbara Tako.

When roles change over time, use your cancer super powers to help, says melanoma and breast cancer survivor Barbara Tako.

Breast cancer survivor says let's call a spade a spade: We are afraid our disease will kill us. But, there is help to manage that fear

Balancing grief and guilt can be tricky after the death of a loved one, says one cancer survivor.

This survivor regrets not being there when her mother passed away from metastatic breast cancer.

Breast cancer survivor's questions about genetic testing are ahead of the research.

This breast cancer survivor believes each of us is precious and unique, and that is helpful to stop comparing ourselves to each other.

Two-time cancer survivor discusses why sometimes she still has wine or cocktails.

Breast cancer survivors says that even though cancer is big, scary and demanding, it never justifies bad behavior as a person.

Breast cancer survivor decides the "right" thing now, due to genetic testing results and family history, is a prophylactic double mastectomy with reconstructions