Blogs

There are many people in my life who made my cancer experience far easier. I call them my "cancer posse."

While my wife has been an amazing caregiver throughout my cancer experience, I realized that it was not fair for her to continually be on the receiving end of all my negative emotions.

As I reflect on the month of June, I see it as my “rebirth,” as four years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer, and my life has not been the same ever since.

When I noticed the bare shelves in a recent trip to the grocery store, I started to think about how supply chain issues might impact cancer care.

After seven years, my prosthetic breast, “Rightie,” sprung a leak and needed to be replaced.

When participating in FORCE’s Virtual Advocacy Day, it was difficult for me not to go off-script, as anger welled up inside me.

After cancer, I now have more empathy for people going through health crises, though when I see others posting inspirational stories on social media, I can’t help but to wonder how much strife they have actually been through.

I can’t imagine my daughter not getting important cancer treatments because we could not afford it or because insurance denied it. Unfortunately, that is the situation for many patients.

Post-cancer depression sometimes makes me feel like I’m being run over by a bus, but here’s some advice on how to let it pass by.

Recent clinical trial results have given me new hope that one day soon, a cure for all cancers will be found.

I was lucky to find a cancer resource center that offered support groups, free wigs and plenty more — including delicious luncheons for survivors and their families.

Looking back, perhaps a poem could have helped me tell my family about my cancer diagnosis.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer, I struggled to discuss what was going on, but once I started a blog, the sunshine began to pour in.

It has been 46 years since my brother died of cancer, and I have finally reached the “bitter resentment” stage of grief.

My daughter is a cancer “previvor” because she inherited a cancer gene from her mother, so this Father’s Day, I’m celebrating her, too.

After surviving cancer, I knew what medical upselling looked like, and experienced it firsthand when a clinician tried to send me for more tests than I felt necessary.

Telling friends and family about a cancer diagnosis can be gut wrenching. Here’s how I did it.

Seeing a friend meet up for a business meeting made me miss my fast-paced life before cancer, but reminded me to trust the process of where I am now.

I’ve experienced fatigue from cancer before but contracting COVID-19 took it to a whole other level.

Recent headlines have been highlighting a monoclonal antibody that eliminated evidence of disease in patients with rectal cancer, but I believe that findings from the research need to be taken with a few grains of caution.

Before being diagnosed with cancer, I would turn my gaze away from people who were suffering, but now, I connect with them, and know that it could be me.

Cancer and its treatments can affect oral health, though when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, the thought of seeing the dentist slipped my mind.

One of the most loving things I can do for my family is to purchase life insurance, but my application was turned down, presumably because of my cancer history.

Getting other medical opinions for my cancer diagnosis not only saved my life but also taught me self-care.

I was approached with the opportunity to ghostwrite for an author who was writing about his cancer journey. I’m still baffled by the timing, but that experience shifted into my eventual cancer journey.

Having someone beside you to accompany you during doctor's visits to take notes or having someone to help you find the right specialist or even to just help research what treatment options are available can be incredibly helpful.

I trusted my oncology team with my life, so it was important that I found doctors I was comfortable with.

I’m not going to worry that I’m changing my own health by saying out loud that this cancer stuff is hard and scary and kills way too many people every single day.

Watching my daughter’s life be interrupted by breast cancer made me want to help other parents who might find themselves in a similar situation.

It’s good to have all the facts when you decide whether to participate in a cancer drug clinical trial—even the ones that make you swallow hard and tear up.