Today is National Cancer Survivors Day. It's a day intended to celebrate those who have "battled" cancer, who have faced the beast and "won." Or rather, who have found themselves in a place of sufficient distance from their disease to find reason to celebrate. Now, don't get me wrong - I also find plenty of … Continue reading On Sadness and Survivorship
“How Can I Help?”
Since my initial breast cancer diagnosis, our family has been overwhelmingly fortunate in the people who have reached out to support us, both near and far. I want all of you to know how incredibly grateful we are for your love and for your support. I have been meaning to write this post for a … Continue reading “How Can I Help?”
Why Research is the Reason
Way back in the early 1990s, breast cancer felt like a dirty phrase. People whispered it in secret, afraid to talk about this disease. The concept of "awareness" was only beginning to take hold, a primarily grassroots tool that put into place some structural cohesion for those whose lives had been impacted by breast cancer. … Continue reading Why Research is the Reason
A Long Update
It’s not uncommon for estrogen-positive metastatic breast cancer to shift, to mutate, and to become resistant to hormone therapy. Truthfully, the cancer continues to mutate so as to evade all lines of available treatment at some point, including even the most harsh lines of intravenous chemotherapy. This is a critical, but poorly-understood, area of both … Continue reading A Long Update
Brain Fog
I'm currently writing this post from my back porch - there is just enough sunshine dappling my chair to be warming and soothing, but not enough to feel harsh on my sensitive eyes. It's been nearly two weeks since my SRS brain radiation, and barely a month since the brain MRI that set all of … Continue reading Brain Fog
Brain Tumor Chat
I'm slowly digesting this news - yes, now my breast cancer is in my brain. But as I process this information, I also have to keep reminding myself that the lesions are very, very small. These spots are manageable. I've found some measure of compartmentalization that has allowed me to give this new development a … Continue reading Brain Tumor Chat
Good News/Bad News
Clinical trials are always a bit of a crapshoot. On one hand, you have the opportunity to be treated with the most cutting-edge technology, medications, and treatments available. On the other hand, well, it's a trial. There's no truly solid data on its efficacy because you are the data. I felt fairly comfortable with my … Continue reading Good News/Bad News
The Last Two Months
“I do not wish my anger and pain and fear about cancer to fossilize into yet another silence, nor to rob me of whatever strength can lie at the core of this experience, openly acknowledged and examined...imposed silence about any area of our lives is a tool for separation and powerlessness.” -Audre Lorde, The Cancer … Continue reading The Last Two Months
Playing The “What If” Game
As a child, I often tried to make sense of the greater world by trying to understand the relationship of that which was happening in my life in relationship with all of the myriad things that could happen. For years, I would travel down the rabbit hole of "what if," much to the frustration of … Continue reading Playing The “What If” Game
The Intersection of Cancer and Life, Episode 12: Ellis Emerson
It's hard to believe this is Episode 12 - the last episode of Season 1of the Intersection of Cancer and Life. Thank you all so much for following along and listening to our show. Thank you too, to our incredible guests this season: Nora McMahon, Justin Birckbichler, Marianne Duquette Cuozzo, Robin Browne, Racheli Alkobey, Emily … Continue reading The Intersection of Cancer and Life, Episode 12: Ellis Emerson
