Defying StatisticsOn November 27th, 2012, I lay in the bed of a hospital in downtown Atlanta. Having just had a craniotomy, I was...reactionscomments
Honoring Those Little MilestonesWhen we think of lung cancer, we might well think about the big milestones we hit if we are fortunate enough to...reactionscomments
The New Radioactive Man, Part 1: PreparationI walk hunched over, lurching forward with a pronounced limp in my left leg. For the past two months, the pain shooting...reactionscomments
The New Radioactive Man, Part 2: In ProcessRead part 1 of Jeffrey's article here. Lying down on the hard metal bench was its own special form of torture. The...reactionscomments
Painkillers vs Pain Relievers, Treating the Cause or the SymptomI had an interesting chat with one of my doctors recently about pain relief. After dealing with quite a bit of nerve...reactionscomments
Guilty as Charged: the Stigma that RemainsAs someone who spends quite a bit of time evangelizing about the need to re-imagine the lung cancer narrative and remove the...reactions2comments
Opioid Stigma and the Cancer PatientI walked into my pharmacy and handed my prescriptions across the counter. The young man at the computer began typing them in...reactionscomments
The Importance of Looking UpThere is a simple story I often retell from one school-day afternoon in my teens. Autumn was perhaps my favorite time of...reactions1comment
Pets, Responsibilities, and the Lung Cancer PatientWhen I was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer, I was quickly asked by more than a few people if I would...reactionscomments
Going Off-LabelThere is a push among some cancer researchers to treat cancers based on genetic mutations rather than their area of origin. Because...reactionscomments
Protecting Those We Love From WorryI've always tried to be a protector. I've been that guy who goes into the fray to break up fights. I've been...reactions2comments
Prevention vs. Risk Reduction in Lung CancerI wrote an article recently about how I was guilty of falling into the trap of blaming an acquaintance's smoking habit for...reactions2comments
Bringing Friends Together Through Terminal CancerTrigger alert: cancer is a sensitive issue, but sometimes patients need to find humor in even the direst prognosis. I did not...reactionscomments
What Is Okay to Say to a Cancer Patient?Announce that you have cancer and it will likely be met with an outpouring of uncensored comments, a flood of words that...reactions2comments
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...reactionscomments
Fear and the Reality CheckI don't want to die and I don't necessarily want to think about dying. But as a Stage IV lung cancer patient...reactionscomments
Cutting My Own HairI wasn't supposed to lose my hair. Not with this treatment, anyway. Maybe when I was on chemotherapy and everybody expected me...reactions7comments
How Well Is Well When Talking About How We Feel?"I'm doing fine." That is the response I usually give when asked how I am doing. People ask me how I feel...reactionscomments
The Weight She Carries: Support For The CaregiverThere is a couple I know where the wife is so fed up about losing her sense of identity, losing her sense...reactions2comments
The Right Place and TimeFor all my complaining about living in Los Angeles, I have to acknowledge how fortunate I am to be here. As with...reactionscomments
