Living

COVID-19 has changed the world and it doesn’t look like it’s changing back anytime soon. There are many precautions in place to protect us, but we also have to be...

May is National Cancer Research Month Christa McAuliffe said, "I touch the future; I teach." I have always loved that. Looking at a young person, knowing that most likely they...

Lately, I’ve been talking a lot about and thinking a lot about communication, or lack thereof. It can be so hard for us as humans to talk to one another...

If you saw a person who looked like they had gained weight, would you say, “You look so fat”? Let’s hope you wouldn’t. So why do some people think it’s...

I have been going through a difficult patch in my blood cancer journey for the past several months. After nearly a year of not seeing my oncologist/hematologist, I recently had...

Content Warning:This article includes information related to mental and emotional distress and may be upsetting to some people. If you or someone you know is in danger, please call 9-1-1...

When I was first diagnosed with blood cancer, I didn’t know about side effects like brain fog and memory loss. I also didn’t realize that it would become much harder...

The things we do for love: I have an old friend who was feeling very anxious, so I got her Prozac. She had arthritis pain, so I got her gabapentin...

Having lived with several types of cancer it is not unusual for people to ask how I cope with it. These days I get many questions from newly diagnosed folks as well as...

The challenge of being a blood cancer survivor, in remission, and dealing with the cancer diagnosis of my husband undergoing treatment for lung cancer can certainly present numerous challenges. It...

I've lost some very special people in my life, and those that I hold the strongest memories of are my mother, and my best friends, Rosetta and Merlyn. I’m so...

The saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover” and how it relates to blood cancer is an accurate statement. Though we’ve heard the statement “Don’t judge a person,” we...

It is well known that mental health affects your physical health and the way your body functions. When we feel disappointed, stressed, and grieved, our physical health can be compromised...

"I don't understand what is wrong with you," my friend said. Although I didn't particularly appreciate how she worded her statement, I laughed. I understood what she meant. Myelodysplastic syndromes...

Stress is something we all can relate to. Perhaps you experienced it as a child walking into school on that very first day. Perhaps the “jitters” happened as you wondered...

Cancer drugs are essential for people with cancer. These drugs can help some live longer without the cancer spreading. However, these drugs come with a high price tag. This can...

Having cancer is overwhelming for sure and it is life-changing, and stressful, and one of the most horrible things that can happen to a person. That’s not up for debate...

It’s been over a year since I was told I was in remission. I guess I thought if I wrote a “journal entry” type article after some time had passed...

I’ve had a love–hate relationship with social media throughout the years. With social media, I was a late bloomer. I remember all my friends and even my mother-in-law singing the...

In October 2011, I received two letters from my grandmother, Mary. What is unusual about that? I never knew Grandmother Mary because she passed away in 1944, twelve years before...