Living

I applied for Social Security Disability (SSDI) soon after I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. With a broken femur and an upcoming stem cell transplant, I qualified for disability benefits...

Living with leukemia is difficult. Seems obvious, right? But if you are not living it, sometimes it is hard to understand. Coping with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) these past six...

During my chemotherapy for blood cancer, I looked forward to life after cancer. I thought this new chapter would be filled with hope and happiness, but I felt fear and...

Chemo. We’ve all seen it on TV and in the movies so many times that many of you, like me, used it as our treatment measuring stick when we first...

When you learn cancer treatment will involve chemotherapy, it is easy to begin thinking of the many potential side effects. We have all read about the potential and ongoing bouts...

Let me start by saying that it’s a wonderful thing when you have some options when battling blood cancer. Specifically multiple myeloma, which at one time had limited treatment alternatives...

You wouldn’t think that a story about Ronald Reagan’s recovery from a gunshot wound would remind me of an experience during my blood cancer treatment. But that is what happened...

The struggle is real. I have been courageously fighting cancer for 6 years. Doctors didn't expect me to be walking, or at least not without assistance. My lower spine and...

Before I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, I had not given a second thought to the cost of prescription drugs. I had a good education, a good job, and excellent...

"Is that nice to say?" I would often ask my students. You can think anything you want but think about it before you say it aloud. Telling a classmate their hair...

When I was in seventh grade, to write a paper on restaurant jargon, I sat at the counter in a luncheonette near my house. I ate a lot of rice...

I can honestly say I’ve hit what I thought was rock bottom many times in my chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) journey. One such incident brought changes to my lifestyle that...

I like metaphors. I see them everywhere. Do you like metaphors? I hope so because today you’re getting one. A few years ago I had a sailboat named Fargone. Unfortunately...

When most people think of chemotherapy, they are under the general understanding that it makes cancer patients pretty sick. That’s how it’s portrayed in movies and that’s exactly what I...

Three years ago, Blood-Cancer.com was born into existence. In three years we have built a supportive, resourceful, and encouraging community. As we continue to grow and age, our mission stays...

I took a Genetics class in college many years ago. Despite this, the knowledge I walked away with was only enough to answer relevant questions on Jeopardy... sometimes. I do...

Hi Everyone! I want to quickly reintroduce myself because it’s been quite a while since my last post. However, some of you may be vaguely familiar with my story because...

Hey there, my name is, well I don’t have a name per se - I’m the other half of our friend Yolanda. I wanted to write this open letter to...

"You Are So Brave!" How often have we heard this said to us? Most times, people truly mean well when they say this. They are doing their best to be...

Don't you hate it when you don't sleep well? The next day, I often feel cranky, have trouble concentrating, and my get-up-and-go feels like it got-up-and-went! Not only do our...