Are Advertisements Offering Too Much False Hope?You know, I'm just not sure what I think about all of the advertisements that we are constantly bombarded by on television, in magazines, on social media... Everywhere, it seems...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Cancer InvincibilityI have been meaning to schedule my annual mammogram. It’s also time for a colonoscopy. This morning I put both of those tasks on my calendar to do today. Surprisingly...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
Using Medication To Quit SmokingChantix - it is a medication that either scares you to death or is a life-saver. Chantix is a medication used to help people quit smoking. According to their website, Chantix works by binding...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
It's About the JourneyI remember the days following my diagnosis as if they were yesterday. I was told I might not have very many more days here on earth, so I decided I...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Balancing Parenting with Cancer TreatmentBeing a cancer patient does not counteract parental duties, though I often wish it would. Many times I have had to drag my child along with me when I was...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Progress in Federal Funding for Lung CancerAt the end of June, a bipartisan amendment was passed to restore the budget for the Department of Defense (DOD) Lung Cancer Research Program to $20 million for 2019. What...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Deciding on Radiation Treatments"Your tumor is growing. I am sorry, but I am pulling you out of your clinical trial," my oncologist said. And, with that, my world came crashing down all around...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Immunotherapy and My New NormalUntil very recently, chemotherapy has been one of the only options for first-line treatment for lung cancer. Depending on your tumor(s), you may receive chemotherapy in a mild form or...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Lessons from Love and LossI bet you're thinking of your loved ones, right? Well, I am actually not. What I am writing about is all the friends I have made throughout my lung cancer travels. I have...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Getting Easier While Getting TougherCancer treatment can be a whole world of contradiction for a patient. Because of our individual biologies and the unpredictability of treatments, not to mention the cancer cells themselves, it...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments
Colitis and OpdivoOpdivo, an immunotherapy, can cause many side effects. Some of which are itching, rash, fatigue, pneumonitis, and colitis. I have always had the rash and fatigue and it appears that...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
My Partner Is Not My CaregiverIn cancer terminology, there is a lot of very loaded language. Terms like "survivor" have become so ingrained that patients even worry about when it is okay to use the...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Doctors Sometimes Need Advice TooHow many of us have lived with the notion that the doctors with whom we interact know everything about the medical circumstances we find ourselves in? That they are smarter...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
Chemo AngelsHave you ever heard about Chemo Angels or Angel Mail? Chemo Angels are a wonderful group of people who simply want to be Angels in the lives of cancer patients or caregivers. They...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
I Had to Retire. Now What Do I Do with My Time?Way too many of us find that we can no longer continue to work at an 8-5 job after we are diagnosed with cancer. Besides the challenges of having to...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Inhaling Just FineA friend of mine who teaches yoga asked me about how my lung cancer affects my breathing. That is an interesting question with a variety of answers, which I will...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
What My Rash Has Taught MeI have certainly learned a few things through the process of dealing with my latest, nagging side-effect. This persistent rash, covering me quite literally from head to toe, could have...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Sweeping Myself Into a PileLately, I have been getting really tired of cleaning up after myself. Literally, cleaning myself after myself, if that makes any sense. I am constantly shedding so many dead skin...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Recalculating...I attended a workshop taught by Shera Dubitsky, formerly a senior advisor to Sharsheret, a national not-for-profit organization supporting young Jewish women and their families facing breast cancer. She called...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Positive Contributions Equal a Brighter DayHave you ever met that person who enters a room and is instantly likable? Someone who has a positive comment to make about everything she sees? Think of the type...Reactions0reactionsComments3 comments