Maria Valente

I was diagnosed with leukemia in 2011. There were a few symptoms that my doctor had followed up on. Many of the symptoms were pretty vague and persistent. The one...

I was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia in 2011. Having an autoimmune disease means trying to avoid infections wherever we can. My fellow blood cancer patients can relate. When I...

Ever feel like you are running from blood cancer and it keeps catching up? Since being diagnosed with leukemia in 2011 I have found myself outmaneuvering, outthinking (if that’s a...

For us blood-cancer patients fatigue can hit pretty hard. It’s like a weight that gets heavier and heavier. I was diagnosed with leukemia in 2011. I’ve been fighting fatigue ever...

How are you? It’s a polite question to ask. It's a friendly way to start a conversation. It can be a complicated question for a cancer patient though. It’s the...

I’ve been a leukemia patient since 2011 and it isn’t always easy to navigate this disease. It can be painful, disturbing, and confusing even on my best days. I think...

It’s a conundrum. When it comes to a chronic blood cancer diagnosis we try to strike a balance between the symptoms of the disease and the side effects of the...

I’m not a big follower of The National Basketball Association, but when Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, told Forbes last year that the pricing for generic drugs was...

How many of us have considered our health as we balance our expenses? This situation is mired in difficulties, but for many of us it’s an everyday occurrence. My groceries...

Cancer is a heavy word and for most people. It has a very negative connotation and I don’t think I’ve met anyone who hasn’t been touched by it. Maybe not...

My only experiences with cancer before I was diagnosed were either: 1. People who beat it and 2. People who didn’t beat it. From what I saw, beating it meant...

I’ve been living with leukemia for a little over a decade now. To see me, you’d probably think I’m doing ok. I mean, I’m not one who likes to complain...

I admit to being a little dark. Not my skin or my hair, but my humor. Ten years of chemotherapy and sometimes all I need is a laugh. It’s this...

There are times when I feel comfortable enough to share my diagnosis and my symptoms with someone. I’ve been treating this chronic myeloid leukemia for ten years now and often...

“You don’t look sick!” I’ve been told over and over again. Most of my pain is not readily visible. My oncologist had told me that I had won the “cancer...

In case you missed it, check out Part 1 of this series! It had been five years of chronic myeloid leukemia. I started one TKI oral chemotherapy, then a chemo...

I’m a chemo failure. It was 2012 when I was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. I soon found out that fighting leukemia is complicated. For me, this disease is always...

I look at my calendar and I see a day to celebrate just about anything! I do have some favorites. January 1st is National Hangover Day for us Canadians -...

I was talking to a cancer agency social worker when she said, “So, what do you do to relax?” I ran through the list of the things I do to...

There's a certain type of courage to facing cancer. It's a very individual experience. Leya Elijah’s article, The Pressure to be Brave, really got me thinking. What is Cancer Courage?...