Living

I would love to say to others when they lose a loved one, "It'll get easier with time". But does it? Or is it a continuous cycle with good and bad...

I have been advocating for cancer for four years and have survived for lung cancer closed to sever years. Looking back at my advocating journey, I’ve come a long way...

The difference between palliative care and hospice are totally different. Some people will think, "Oh no, palliative care". I know that I used to think like that, but I've finally relented and...

When I was diagnosed in 2014, I had to stop working and a year later got on Social Security Disability (SSD). It did something to my soul, I felt like...

The Dusty Joy Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving the lung cancer community, has a growing network of monthly educational patient group meetings. One brand-new group that I am especially excited...

Time is a priceless gift especially when I am facing a stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis. Living with the disease is part of my daily routine. With the precious time...

The Dusty Joy Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving the lung cancer community, has a growing network of monthly educational patient group meetings. One brand-new group that I am especially excited...

When I was diagnosed with stage 3b non-small cell lung cancer in 2014 I had just turned 30 the prior September. I had a lot of thoughts running through my...

While I have written previously about participating in the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Scientist Survivor Program (SSP), I played a different role in the recent program that took...

I just celebrated my eighth year living with stage IV lung cancer on April 11, 2022. I wrote before about my seventh cancer anniversary. I have the same but also...

My husband and I just returned from the first real vacation we’ve taken since the pandemic began in March 2020. We travelled to Utah for a week and spent some...

I always attended as many technical presentations as possible, like engineering conferences from my previous career or cancer conferences. This time with AACR Annual Meeting 2022, it was not exceptional...

It was 2014, I was 46 and I was in the best shape of my life. Then I started wheezing in June of 2014. Not long after, I ran into...

Proper nutrition to support your body during lung cancer treatment is essential to help maintain strength and well-being. That is because your body is undergoing many changes from drugs and...

I was diagnosed with lung cancer because of side effects from a pulmonary embolism, a blood clot that traveled to my lung. In 2014, my sister started working in Connecticut...

I attended AACR (American Association for Cancer Research) Annual Meeting 2022 from April 9-13 for the first time. The meeting was a hybrid with the in-person one in New Orleans...

The title doesn't mean "Before Christ" or "Anno Domini" (Latin for the year of our Lord) in technical terms. But philosophically, I've come to believe it also means: Samantha (before cancer)...

Diet and nutrition can be a worry for those undergoing treatment for lung cancer. Eating can sometimes feel like a chore due to nausea, difficulty swallowing, or stress and anxiety...

You always hear people say, “Don’t take it so personally”. Before you are diagnosed with lung cancer you never think it can happen to you. Since I was diagnosed, I...

Back in 2019 my husband was approached by a pastor that we know and asked him if we would consider becoming transitional foster parents. My husband said, "Sure what does...