Living

I know not everyone handles life turmoil in the same way, which is why we’re all so unique in how we cope with blood cancer. So what do we do...

Medication. It’s supposed to be a word that brings hope and joy to anyone who has an illness. It’s a way out of the predicament, a road to health, a...

Bye-bye hair. Well, this is the written word so you don’t necessarily know what I look like. Until 5 days ago, I had really really long hair. I’m quite emotionally attached to my...

When faced with a chronic health condition like blood cancer, many people rely on the help and support of a caregiver. In many ways, the family members, partners, and friends...

Millions of people are caring for loved ones who are sick or disabled. In fact, some 25 percent of U.S. adults report providing care or assistance to someone with a...

It’s a funny thing, leukemia. I’m in the wait and watch stage so, for me, Leuk is still an invisible enemy lurking somewhere inside. And though I can’t see him...

A cancer diagnosis is a very distressing event. As a cancer survivor, I had to learn to explain what blood cancer is in simple terms. Friends and family wanted to...

The worst thing about my college days was not studying for exams or writing term papers. The worst thing was dealing with roommates. Now, ladies, don't any of you call...

I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide, welling and swelling I bear in the tide. Leaving behind nights of terror and fear I riseMaya Angelou The plights we go through...

I’m probably not the only person who ever spaced out while driving. It happens when I’m intensely listening to the radio, or a podcast, or occasionally, though I don’t do...

When I retired from teaching in 2017, I had an exit plan. I recorded my students' grades, printed off a copy of my classroom's inventory, and left notes in my...

I grew up at a bay in Washington State. That’s probably why I find boating in Puget Sound so calming. It’s like I draw my peace from it. Out there...

The future is a wondrous place. Or so we’ve been told. The fact of the matter is that when you have cancer, the future isn’t quite as rosy a picture...

My middle child, my son, seemed to be the one around each time I had a fall. He had to rush some 90 miles when I landed in the hospital...

Life with blood cancer can vary from person to person. Symptoms, treatment, side effects, progression, remission, and more are unique to each situation. For some, symptoms may be disabling and...

All I can say is that it has been interesting to undergo chemotherapy for the first time for blood cancer. As you might imagine, I approached my first treatment with...

At the newspaper where I was a reporter, if you read a too-long story or were making fun of yourself for writing one, you would say that it contained everything...

I am a survivor of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. During chemotherapy, my life was “on hold" while I focused on treatment. What would I do next in this new world post-cancer? Get...

Part of having cancer is facing the inevitable question, “is it terminal?” In some cases, it’s pretty clear from the jump what the prognosis is, but in other cases (aka...

There’s a corkboard at the front of my desk. I see it when I sit down to write, but I seldom notice the things pinned to it. Today though, one...