Living

Google defines the word dissociation as, “The disconnection or separation of something from something else or the state of being disconnected.” It’s no wonder that we as cancer patients and...

I recently read Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness by Ilana Jacqueline. The author is a young woman who has suffered from several illnesses. I was diagnosed with myelodysplastic...

As the year ends, I reflect back on what has been a tough time medically for me—and not just because of my chronic myeloid leukemia diagnosis. It has been eight...

Okay, I admit it, I’ve used my cancer card. For those not familiar with the term, it means using a cancer diagnosis as an excuse to get out of something...

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...

All the feels. Cancer, and especially blood cancer, is so dependent on feelings that I wouldn’t be surprised to see it sitting on the couch with a pint of ice...

We just finished up a bathroom remodel at our house. What a pain. During the work, we discovered that some needed plumbing work that we had done in the spring...

2022. A huge year for me in many ways. My first full year of not living in London since I moved there in 2009.  My first calendar year off chemo...

What would I, a retired teacher from Oklahoma, possibly have in common with well-known authors and screenplay writers Nora and Delia Ephron? Blood cancer? Left on Tenth, A Second Chance...

A fellow cancer survivor recently asked me about my cancer experience. She discussed her initial symptoms and was surprised that I had none. My diagnosis was an incidental finding. While...

Adopting a graceful attitude, when living with blood cancer like non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a way I am trying to peacefully deal with the many things the disease and the treatments...

As 2023 rolls in as a new year to a fresh start; it may feel like there are remnants of 2022 or the past attached. You may wonder how you...

Today I cried in front of my chiropractor. It’s true and I’m only a little bit embarrassed. The past few days I’ve been in a lot of pain because of...

A cancer survivor should be the last person to say a stupid thing about cancer. Yet a stupid thing about cancer is what I said. The PTSD that many of...

If I’ve learned anything over the past eight years with chronic myeloid leukemia, it’s that we blood cancer patients are a resilient lot. It’s not as if we have a...

Do you ever wake up tired? You have chores, errands, and obligations you must perform, but how? "Success is like a vitamin!" my college professor said. As a teacher, I...

I'll admit it. I'm a show binger. And even more scandalous, I'm a binger of shows I've previously watched. In the past few years, it's been Las Vegas, Gunsmoke, Breaking...

Nobody’s nerfect. You’ve all heard the saying before but just in case you haven’t, the point is that no one in this world is perfect. We all know it. There...

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...

Most people know or learn to realize that fatigue is very much in the equation when diagnosed with blood cancer. It’s a sore topic that many endure, and some are...