Living

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...

Having a positive attitude when facing any of life’s trials is important. At least that’s my opinion. Nature and life have a way of working things out. Although it’s not...

The Blood Cancer Awareness Month Giveaway is now closed. Thank you for your interest! We are honoring Blood Cancer Awareness Month this year, themed "Navigating the New Normal," with a...

September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM). We all know that a blood cancer diagnosis is life-changing, and that is why this year we want to bring awareness to what...

I have a confession. Yesterday, I woke up at 10:45 am. Then I woke up again an hour later. Then I also woke up again at 12:15 pm. That’s what...

Everything happens for a reasonEven if you don’t know whySometimes all you can do is laughOtherwise, you’d cry... Last year I wrote a song called Sometimes All You Can Do...

Processionary caterpillars are not well-known in the United States but are very well-known to be a significant environmental and defoliation hazard in the forests of southern Europe. A word of caution...

The hotel clock clicked midnight, and I was alone. I felt lost thinking about what life would be like with blood cancer. My friend had offered to accompany me to...

In a previous article, I discussed how my chronic myeloid leukemia specialist decided I should stop treatment temporarily. Late last year, my feet became swollen, discolored, and cold for some...

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...

Did you ever open an envelope, read its contents, and felt devastated? I was a college junior in 1976 when I received notice that I had not been accepted into...

Sometimes we know what it takes, or we think we do, when it involves walking into unknown territories. Oftentimes it's more than the obvious, it can also take the inner...

While on a walk with friends on a cold winter day, with slush underfoot, I had a secret weapon that you wouldn’t normally call a plus in a person’s life:...