Living

Recently, I had the pleasure and honor of watching my daughter Crystal graduate from Officer Training School for the United States Air Force. It was such a proud moment, but...

When October comes, many people associate it with pumpkins, beautiful foliage, or even football games. For me, October is significant for other reasons. No, it is not because it is...

Since I was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma 15 years ago, I’ve had a bunch of scans. And of course, with every scan came scanxiety. Every time. But a few weeks...

Now what they don’t tell you is that if you do make it to remission of your blood cancer, with maintenance or without maintenance, the likelihood of other hiccups always...

In the book of Genesis 2:18, we find a quote saying, “It is not good that man should be alone.” A few centuries  later John Donne in his poem reminds us...

I was at a Bunco fundraiser when a lady at my table said her husband had been recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma. I replied that I had something similar called...

As blood cancer survivors our priority is to promote wellness in every aspect of our lives. I recently read several articles suggesting that forgiving and forgetting can improve our health...

Chemo. It’s a scary word, almost as scary as “cancer,” or “unauthorized charge on your credit card.” Chemo, though, is a necessary part of blood cancer treatment and after years...

In December 2007 I was diagnosed with hairy cell leukemia, a chronic and often repeating blood cancer. I have had 2 relapses and have undergone treatment each time since the...

After nearly nine years of living with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), I think I should have paid better attention earlier on to the signs along this road. I’m not talking...

This year it felt different. It wasn’t really on my radar but then again, that’s not necessarily a surprise. I normally remember World CML Day, just about. But that’s easier...

It is not an easy process when you're trying to get the most updated information about blood cancer. Taking on this particular article was like a maze to find the...

If you live in a climate that tends to be hotter than hot like I do (Texas *cough cough*) You know by now how horrid the heat can be. It’s...

In 2020, one of the newly arrived church ladies approached me after the service and said, “You have a nicely shaped head and I wanted to just say ... you...

Sadly, I recently received a call from a cousin who was distraught over a new cancer diagnosis. She was upset and totally overwhelmed. It brought back memories of my own...

The other day, I was walking down the street, choking back tears, stopping and starting and stopping again. I was trying to finish a text to my nurse practitioner at...

This month we are recognizing Blood Cancer Awareness Month, celebrating the lives of everyone in this community and the memories of those who are no longer with us. Survivorship is...

Because of a hectic work schedule and medical problems, I recently took a hiatus from social media. I left a pinned "status" on Facebook. I don’t watch the TV show...

Fatigue. It’s always a popular topic when talking about blood cancer. Why? Because we all experience it, sometimes for years after we are in remission, and doctors rarely talk about...

When I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2011, I was severely anemic and my kidneys were near failure. These are two of several possible symptoms that are visible with...