Living

Not every cancer patient sees themselves as a warrior, fighting a battle against their cancer. They say they are merely trying to survive something awful that happened and don’t think...

When I was first diagnosed with polycythemia vera (PV) three years ago, I was curious on how I, a relatively healthy person, wound up with this rare, progressive and chronic...

Admit it, you’re as tired hearing about fatigue as you are tired Raise your hand if you don’t have an issue with fatigue. C’mon don’t be shy, let us see who...

My greatest fear upon learning about my diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma was that I was dying. I had just experienced a wonderful summer at the shore with my family and...

Here in Washington State we have coffee shoppes – a LOT of coffee shoppes. It all started in Seattle with Starbucks. Now, no matter where you go, you can buy...

I have lived with, fought, and often beaten back multiple myeloma for going on seven years now. Mine has presented itself as very stubborn and, with 15 lines of treatment...

My little cancer charity, Cancer On Board, is now 2. Well, it’s been 2 years since we got official charitable status and I can’t really believe it!  It’s amazing and...

Let’s talk about sex. It is a taboo topic, but many cancer patients and survivors experience issues with their sex life before, during, or after treatments. For those who are...

I recently got an email from another follicular lymphoma patient. That happens a lot. I’ve kept a blog about FL for over 11 years. Lots of other patients have found...

I was recently featured in the first article of a series in the online version of a UK paper.  To begin with, I was a bit irritated that I wouldn’t...

You might think your junk drawer is full of, well, junk, but its contents can actually be worth a lot. It was in my junk shelf – for papers that...

I had the honor of attending the Janssen-sponsored 2019 HealtheVoices conference, which is the all that be of the advocacy conferences with amazing patient advocates from across the country. I...

Rev. Isaac Dusenbury is a chaplain at Duke University Hospital. He completed his chaplain residency at Duke University Hospital’s Surgical and Intensive Care Unit and graduated from the Divinity School...

When you are in the throes of chemo, the real heart of cancer and its treatment, it consumes you. Mentally, physically and spiritually, all your energy is focused upon besting...

Back when I was running a lot, I often vowed to work on my neglected upper body strength. That meant recommitting myself to going to exercise classes, doing planks, or...

A cancer patient must be focused on healing and fighting their disease. However, due to spiraling medical expenses, especially drug costs, many cancer patients may worry about paying for expenses...

I once heard of a man who had cancer and was given only a short time to live. His family didn’t talk about it. Even he didn’t know what to...

When people hear that I had four bone marrow transplants, their reactions fall into three categories summarized like so: To back up, a few people have said that my first...

A two-week break from treatment has started!!! Which is beyond amazing. I've needed this. The exhaustion has been beyond bearable. I have been at breaking point. I have been reminded why...

If you would have asked me to tell you about myself a few years ago, I would have probably started with my family. I would have told you stories about my...