Blogs

Drawing helped me stay grounded while my wife was going through cancer treatment.

My oncology team and I decided that it was OK to decrease the frequency of cancer-related scans, leaving me both relieved and nervous.

It baffles me that people take advantage of patients with cancer by peddling fake cures.

Surviving cancer made me thankful for each day. After all, the human lifespan is limited.

This year, I returned to the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, where I heard about the latest advancements in cancer care, as well as met with fellow patients and advocates.

After experiencing complications from breast reconstruction, I’ve decided to go “fabulously flat” and evict my implants.

I would be devastated if my husband left me during my cancer experience. Unfortunately, that is a reality for some people.

As I reflect on cancer survivorship, I notice how important the camraderie with fellow survivors is.

At first, I was apprehensive about a male doctor treating my breast cancer, but I soon realized that he was treating me as he would his own family members — and that made me realize that I was in good hands.

As I enter my second year of grief and the shock and fog of the traumatic loss of my wife to cancer has waned a bit, sometimes I see things a little clearer. And one thing I do know, there was something that I did get right.

If I make a wrong turn while hiking, I backtrack until I find my way again. I’ve decided that it’s OK to do the same thing when it comes to finding a cancer care team.

The decision to be treated locally or at a large research center can be a difficult one, but I am lucky enough to have both.

When a friend with metastatic breast cancer said that her cancer responded to treatment and she was excited to stop taking daily pills, I thought that something must have been miscommunicated to her.

After cancer, my “normal” life is long forgotten, but how can I get back to life as a person who is well?

Heartbreak and loss trail behind us every day in the cancer world. But so does understanding, friendship and love.

After being diagnosed with cancer, I took a hard look at what I was eating and made some positive changes.

I typically don’t use cancer labels, such as “survivor” or “thriver,” but when I heard about COVID-19 “long-haulers,” the term resonated with me.

I prefer when people respond with empathy when they hear about my wife’s death from cancer, though I’m often met with sympathy first.

I did not wear my prosthetic breast for my son’s wedding, but I did pack some lymphedema essentials for my trip.

At a neighbor’s funeral, I realized that people have their own hardships, too, and there is a time and a place to discuss my cancer diagnosis.

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.