Remembering Our Fathers (and Mothers), and OurselvesAt some point, most of us will have lost one or both of our parents by the time we hit our own middle age. My father died a short time...reactionscomments
National Healthy Homes MonthJune is National Healthy Homes Month. This year’s theme, "Unlocking the Potential of America’s Children: Check Your Home – Protect Your Family," serves as a great reminder to test our...reactionscomments
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...reactionscomments
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...reactionscomments
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...reactionscomments
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...reactionscomments
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...reactionscomments
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...reactionscomments
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...reactionscomments
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...reactionscomments
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...reactionscomments
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...reactionscomments
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...reactionscomments
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...reactionscomments
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...reactionscomments
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...reactionscomments
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...reactions1comment
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...reactions2comments
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...reactionscomments
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...reactionscomments