Living

I have read that some oncologists compare a cancer diagnosis to post-traumatic disorder (PTSD). When you get the news, it is common to feel grief. In my case, I had...

As a blood cancer survivor, I have often asked myself if the many things I did in my youth led to my blood cancer diagnosis today. Did I have one too...

I like to plan and set goals because I feel better when looking forward to things. For example, it motivates me to clean my house when expecting a visitor. In...

And another year has gone by. A different type of year this time. A cancerversary year. My 16th. 16 years since I was diagnosed. 16 years since I got *that*...

I heard that Blood-Cancer.com is celebrating its fifth birthday on May 3 and I definitely should mark that milestone on my calendar! Maybe I’ll even have ice cream. Although my...

May is Cancer Research Month. As we all know, research is necessary. It is one of the only ways the medical system can come up with new treatments and drugs...

I wanted to introduce the blood cancer tribe to a new addition to my household! My new fur baby Bear!!! Who doesn't love seeing an adorable puppy?! So here he...

Recently I came across a TV series called I Survived. The show is about people who have made it out of harrowing experiences alive. It is not an easy watch;...

For most of my adult life, I have played with the concept that mindset is everything, and that our outcomes can be shaped by our beliefs. This started as a...

When I got home after my stem cell transplants, as soon as I felt a little better, I’d cautiously move around. First, it was walking around the house, then out...

I often think about weird things when I am drifting off instead of working. Things like “How does Superman shave?” and “Do dragons’ birthday cakes have candles they light instead...

Of all of the difficult things that cancer has forced me to do, telling my kids the news was the hardest. My kids were 6, 8, and 10 years old...

As a cancer survivor, I was focused on care for my blood cancer and its follow-up. I was personally tired of physician appointments, diagnostics, and treatment. This was doubly troublesome...

At some point, all of us start on this particular race of life. Some of us have trained beforehand and others were not ready at all! We all have one...

It’s already tough trying to function as a normal member of society when dealing with post-blood cancer side effects like nausea, anxiety, physical pain, etc. When you throw singing, dancing...

Do you remember the Friends television show when Chandler's job transferred him to Tulsa, Oklahoma? The characters acted like their friend was going to Siberia. I am a Tulsa native...

The definition of sacrifice means: to offer as a sacrifice. to suffer the loss of, give up, renounce, injure, or destroy especially for an ideal, belief, or end. 3. :...

I’ve shut myself away for the last several weeks and that can be a good thing—or not. My eight-year journey with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) took a turn last year...

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...

Saying goodbye is so hard. You are never really prepared for it. I learned this as a TYA (teenage young adult) with cancer. Suddenly, with blood cancer, you are thrown...