Living

A blood cancer diagnosis, along with the many available treatment options, can dump a bucket full of stress and more in your lap. Suddenly everything in life is more complicated...

I could go on and on about my first kidney doctor. But I am trying to my blood pressure down, so I’ll keep it short. When first diagnosed, my kidneys...

*Authors note: I curse in this a LOT I was so sure I was going to be on Broadway (I mean, I still could be) but blood cancer went and...

I was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in 2015. My cancer was discovered at the same time that I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Due to the symptoms that...

I think it’s fair to say no one living with blood cancer wants to be labeled as a pro in dealing and coping; however, there can be a lot said...

October is an important month for me and it has taken on more significance over the past eight years. Toward the middle of the month back in 2014, I received...

When my daily meds included folic acid at the start of my chemotherapy, I remember the conversation around it so clearly that it could have been yesterday, though it was...

It’s been over 4 years since my myeloma diagnosis and over 3 since I was declared in remission. It has been almost 5 years since my last 5K race and...

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...

"Oh, you look so tired!" Hee hee hee! Bless your heart!" My coworker often said to me on Fridays. At times, I felt like saying, "SHUT UP!" Now, my coworker...

Anxiety. It comes hand-in-hand with a cancer diagnosis and is so thoroughly entwined with the disease that it should probably be called cancerxiety. Anxieter? No wait… I got it. Canxiety...

After my initial denial and anger when diagnosed with follicular lymphoma, a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2010, I have developed strategies to live as a cancer survivor. A year...

Lately due to circumstances beyond my control I have been forced to deal with a lot of high level and prolonged stress. For the past two years I have experienced...

I want to preface this by saying this is coming from the perspective of someone who is in remission. I know not everyone is able to get to that point...

Since I first heard about it, I always thought it was very clever of someone to designate a day for chronic myeloid leukemia (or chronic myelogenous leukemia) on September 22...

Leukemia can sneak up on you from behind or maybe jump out from behind a bush. That is figuratively, of course. You don’t expect it to jump out at you...

It was a warm August night, and I was on my nightly bike ride along the lake. But this evening, I was on my way to meet up with another...

I’ve had a few past and present conversations and found when we throw the term "patient advocate" in the air; what I’ve learned what should be considered a slam dunk...

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...

As we watched the sun dip low in the sky over Lake Bemidji that early August evening, we thought how small our world really is. Ramae and I are both...