Living

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...

An interesting meme made its way (again) around the internet recently. It was an image listing the ways people had died in London in 1632. Some causes of death had...

Well, I did it! Much to my mother’s dismay... Me: Mummy, I know you are going to be really angry and disappointed with me, but I’m walking to the tattoo...

2020 was a very difficult year for many people around the world. Whether it was being hit personally by the coronavirus, dwindling health, death, furlough, unemployment, or political views. So...

April 21 is AML World Awareness Day. This day seeks to raise awareness about acute myeloid leukemia and to show support for all people and families affected by AML around...

Read Part 1 of Paula's story: Cue Vampire. The immunologist was speaking. I could hear the words, but I couldn’t process them. I felt numb. Cold and numb like, well...

Once a caregiver, always a caregiver. Right? Now that we are blood cancer patients, we may or may not have someone looking after us – a spouse, child, friend, etc...