Living

Clinical anxiety/depression is something you carry with you forever -- a daily struggle that is exhausting and can sometimes be paralyzing. I know because when I was 19, I went...

I am called a "warrior" fairly often these days. I am not a warrior. People also call me "heroic," "strong," and even "brave" just for getting up in the morning...

I raised over $17,000 for lung cancer research with the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation in November 2018, during Lung Cancer Awareness Month. It was an unexpected experience for...

There is so much disparity between cancer groups. Of course, lung cancer is the most underfunded. But, when you think about the patient as a human being, and not as a number...

When I was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer, the only question I had for my oncologist was, "Can I keep playing agility with my dogs?" He was dumbfounded. He...

Sitting in the emergency department. Ebb and flow of patient care flowing around me. Dramas big and small. Doctors in hushed tones sharing results and recovery directions. Nurses doing the...

Alex Trebek, a national treasure and host of “Jeopardy!” game show for the past 35 years, recently publicly announced that he was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. “Now normally...

When God passed out singing talents, He skipped right over me. I can't carry a tune no matter how hard I try. How I wish I could. But, I can't...

I am heading into the second quarter of my 7th year post stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer diagnosis. For more than 6 of those years, allowing for an occasional...

As experts learn more about lung cancer, new diagnostic and biomarker testing options have arisen. Along with typical diagnostic and follow-up tests such as CT scans, lung biopsies, chest X-rays...

I just got out of the hospital and a rehab hospital after having sepsis. This is not something that we typically talk about because, quite frankly, most people are not...

Sometimes dealing with insurance and healthcare companies just feels ridiculous. Take the following example, a true story culled from my experience. Filling a new prescription for a steroid cream, I...

Treatments that we undergo for our lung cancer can really zap our energy. Someone recently posted a question on a forum on which I participate asking what kinds of things...

As a writer, I have been dealing with deadlines most of my life. Some have been arbitrary, some have been self-imposed, others have been more along the line of the...

I’m sure many of you go with the flow in what is being mentioned and suggested. It has always been the culture that your doctors know it all, and who...

When I was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer November 27th, 2012, I was told I had 12-18 months. This was devastating, but I decided to make a bucket list...

A remarkable man died recently. He was a liberal when he was young then converted to conservatism. You may have read his column in The Washington Post or seen him...

I may be in the minority here, but I have serious reservations about the prospect of being declared NED. For years I have pondered the idea of my scans showing...

Hydration is important for good health and we need to be able to recognize and treat dehydration before it becomes severe. We, as cancer patients, are particularly vulnerable to dehydration...

Unfortunately, all too often a diagnosis of lung cancer results in the end of a career, not the beginning. Due to the demands of treatment and feeling unwell, many patients...