Navigating Disability & Social SecuritySSDI stands for Social Security Disability Insurance and SSI stands for Supplemental Security Income. Did you know there is a very distinct difference between the two? When my cancer was...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Attending ASCO: Insights for Advocates - Part 2Dusty continues her interview with ASCO’s Patient Advocacy Director, Jeannine Salamone. Click here to read Part 1.Dusty:“You mentioned what organization they represent and if that organization is a 501(c)(3). How...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Opioid Painkillers and Cancer CareCancer patients require a wide variety of options for their care, both curative and palliative. Sometimes that includes heavy-duty pain medications. There are times when those drugs fall under the...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Can I Retire? Should I?Like with all of us, my cancer diagnosis threw a real wrench into my life. Suddenly, what was easy and taken-for-granted was no longer easy at all. For instance, working...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Cannabis Cans, Can'ts, and Quandaries: From Curious to Patient UserRead the beginning of Jeffrey's experience trying medical cannabis in Cannabis Cans, Can'ts, and Quandaries: Changing Perspectives. The gummy and mint products I procured had a combination of THC and...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
What's Faith Got to Do with It?I know, I know. It's a taboo subject these days. But, let's face it, faith plays a huge role in the way many patients and their loved ones deal with...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Cannabis Cans, Can'ts, and Quandaries: Changing PerspectivesI live in California where cannabis is legal (at the State level) for both medicinal and recreational use. Before it was legal for recreational use, there was a medical dispensary...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Attending ASCO: Insights for AdvocatesDuring the 2018 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, I interviewed Jeannine Salamone, ASCO’s Director of Patient Advocacy (pictured below), about the organization’s advocacy programs. Below is...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
You Don't Smoke?Are you a never smoker or someone who quit 30 years ago? Do you realize you can still get lung cancer? All you need to get lung cancer is lungs. Period. A young...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
It's Time to Take Ownership over Our CareBack in the day, when it was suspected that we had cancer, we were sent for a biopsy. The cells were studied to determine if we had cancer and what...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
From Needle Biopsy to PneumothoraxThe initial procedure of my needle biopsy was quite simple. But there is a fairly common complication that I encountered shortly after the needle was removed. It is called a...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
A Tribute to My DadWe got the dreaded and totally unexpected news that my 48-year-old dad had stage IV lung cancer after he underwent a routine physical exam. He'd been having some pain in...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Wear White for a Future Immune to CancerThe Cancer Research Institute (CRI) has designated June as Cancer Immunotherapy Month. While the entire month is focused on bringing more awareness to the life-saving potential of immunotherapy, June 15 has...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Fundraising Tips from a Reluctant FundraiserI have never enjoyed fundraising. When I was in school, I was the kid who always refused to go door-to-door with various items that I was supposed to sell for...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
How I Handled My Diagnosis and Telling My FamilyJennifer recalls and shares the events of her diagnosis in 2014 below.Feb 21, 2014. I don't even know what to say or where to begin so I will start from the...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Cancer's Effect on RelationshipsI was asked recently about how my cancer diagnosis affected my relationships, from my immediate family to my friends to my work associates. It was an interesting question to ponder...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
Clinical Trials Survey: Patients' InsightAn academic survey study is being conducted to help researchers understand patient insights about cancer clinical studies. If you want to be a part of this study, check out the...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
FCR - A New Mental Condition Associated with CancerDo you have FCR...Fear of Cancer Recurrence? FCR has been defined as "fear, worry, or concern relating to the possibility that cancer will come back or progress." Now that we have...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
My Needle Biopsy ExperienceTo be honest, I was somewhat confused about what a needle biopsy entailed. When I was diagnosed about three and a half years ago, I had biopsies done of my...Reactions0reactionsComments13 comments
Hope is a Powerful ForceHope is a word I never used to associate with lung cancer because for a very long time there just wasn’t any. I have been fighting lung cancer indirectly, and...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments