From Finishing a Marathon to Getting Out of Bed, Grinding it Out Comes in Many FormsIf you live in Massachusetts but not in Boston, you’re a Bostonian on Marathon Monday. That at least is how I, living 90 miles away in Western Massachusetts, feel. And...Reactions0reactionsComments20 comments
Finding PeaceA few years ago, I came face to face with something called liminal space. What the heck is that you might ask? Good question. Quite simply it is the space between...Reactions0reactionsComments8 comments
Things I Wish I Had Known on the Day of My Cancer DiagnosisDear Carole, I know that you are feeling overwhelmed and out of control. How could you possibly have blood cancer while feeling fine? Is this really happening? You just had...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments
Being An Annoying Cancer PatientBeing an annoying cancer patient. No one wants to be one. In fact, no one wants to be an annoying anything (despite what my old boss would have you believe)...Reactions0reactionsComments14 comments
Tips To Accomplish New Years ResolutionsEvery year comes a new year. Yes, Katelynn, that's how years work. I know! But with each new year, many of us tend to make New Year’s Resolutions. This year...Reactions0reactionsComments28 comments
Flashback to Hospital 'Lockdown' Helps Relieve SadnessIt was the second pandemic Rosh Hashanah, and if I said I was a little sad, that would be an understatement. If you are Jewish or know anything about Judaism...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Should You Tell an Employer About Your Condition?It’s always difficult to know what you should and should not reveal about your blood cancer to prospective employers or even at the job where you’ve been for a while...Reactions0reactionsComments21 comments
Stand Still: Watchful WaitingOn November 11, 2019, I was delivering for Meals on Wheels. It was a freezing day with snow flurries in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I wore my all-weather coat over a heavy...Reactions0reactionsComments7 comments
Welcome to CancerlandWhen I was diagnosed with blood cancer, the life I knew ended abruptly. One day I was a high school math teacher, writing daily lesson plans. The next I was...Reactions0reactionsComments10 comments
Lowered ExpectationsI got the most marvelous advice from a friend recently in just three simple words: lower your expectations. We were talking about time and how we spend it. Ten years...Reactions0reactionsComments23 comments
The Power of MusicI smile as I make my way into the room at the Brooke Army Medical Center Soldier Recovery Unit. Every chair for the music group has a masked-faced military member...Reactions0reactionsComments7 comments
Hairs The Thing...When it comes to the crowning glory of our hair, some of us feel a certain way when we lose it. When I was on treatment, my hair actually grew...Reactions0reactionsComments8 comments
Things I Wish I Had Done In My First Year Of CancerIt’s that time again – the New Year. I’m sure you have been completely overloaded with posts about new year’s resolutions and what everyone is thankful for and yadda, yadda...Reactions0reactionsComments12 comments
Remembering Scott ChristiansenWe are deeply saddened to share that blood cancer advocate Scott Christiansen passed away on November 26, 2021. Scott had been living with multiple myeloma since 2017. He will be...Reactions0reactionsComments3 comments
MDS - My Disease Stinks!"I was surprised by the results of your recent bone marrow biopsy," my oncologist said. Then she said a word I had never heard before, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). What in...Reactions0reactionsComments16 comments
2021Well. What a year. And I can’t believe how quickly it’s gone by! In some ways I don’t feel like I have done much this year, I think that’s because...Reactions0reactionsComments10 comments
Keeping Goals Without The StressNew Year’s resolutions are hard. One good way to avoid the stress from them is simply not making any. But assuming you’re not going to do that, here are some...Reactions0reactionsComments21 comments
Be Your Own Advocate. OK... But How? Why?You have to be your own advocate. How many times have we heard that? Ten? One hundred? Eleventy-seventy-jillion? Probably somewhere in between that first and last one. Unfortunately, that’s all...Reactions0reactionsComments28 comments
Making Life-Changing Decisions as a Cancer SurvivorCancer survivors are acutely aware of our limited time on earth. Mortality can be in our face. As a cancer survivor, I think more about what really matters and how...Reactions0reactionsComments3 comments
I Choose Joy In The New Year!Do you have a New Year's tradition that you follow? The custom is to eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day in my area. The legend is that Southerns survived on...Reactions0reactionsComments11 comments
