Living

Not so Dear CML,You suck. I wish you’d go away and leave me alone. Yours truly, Susan. Only kidding. If you wrote a letter to your blood cancer, what would...

I’ve never written about this before because, frankly, I didn’t know how to approach it to make sure no one who reads it gets upset. Ha, ha, I know, right?...

The questions you must prepare to be asked the most are "How are you doing?", "How are you feeling?", and "Are you ok?". People especially ask when they first learn...

Living with cancer takes on so many responsibilities that sometimes get lost in the wind. Recently, I was intrigued with a program that gave light to how many in this...

Pain. The “P” word. It goes hand in hand with cancer, and yet so little is done about it until it’s an issue. So today I think we will talk...

When two people told me they were very anemic, I thought I could help even though their anemia was not caused by leukemia like mine was. I have a lot...

When my oncologist told me that I had myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) in 2017, she showed me a chart with my life expectancy as ten years. Recently, I received my new...

Whether you’re newly diagnosed or have been living as a survivor for a while, it’s best to prepare yourself for some scarring. Sometimes these scars will be a thing or...

Living to be 100 years old makes one a centenarian (pronounced cen-ten-air-e-an). I have been volunteering for Centenarians of Oklahoma since 2018. Oklahoma honors these folks with a certificate and our...

In Part 1, I talked about how I sometimes had a difficult time working while living with blood cancer. In those early years as a chronic myeloid leukemia patient, I...

It’s hard to always know exactly what makes you want to call or email a certain friend or family member on any given day. Is it something that reminds you...

Throughout my 6½ year journey with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), I’ve always worked. When I was first diagnosed, I was working as a reporter at a large daily newspaper. One...

When I was first treated for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), it helped me to speak to someone who had “been there, done that.” Specifically, in Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s One-to-One Volunteer...

“This is a life and death decision.” How many times have people around you thrown around that phrase? Probably a lot when it comes time to ponder things like, “Do...

Fred Rogers once said in an interview, "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say, 'Look for the helpers. You...

I remember when I was young and indestructible. There were only a few things to worry about like grades, the next great date, and of course getting that driver’s license...

To know or not know, that is the question. I’m no Shakespeare but I know that his characters often face catastrophic decisions. That’s no less true for patients with blood...

Early on during my cancer diagnosis and journey, I felt overwhelmed, angry, and worried. In addition, I was out of control and sad. When my second oncologist said my outlook...

Superheroes are great, aren’t they? With their flashy costumes and exciting story arcs, most of us love to read or watch Superheroes. I never thought one would help me with...

I guess after a while you learn to adapt to the challenges, trials, and everything that comes along with blood cancer; however, sometimes those rare instances of awkwardness are frustrating...