Funny Thing Happened At...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...reactions5comments
Conversations with a Chaplain: A Chaplain’s Role in Supportive CareRev. 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...reactions3comments
Reinventing Yourself After CancerWhen 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...reactions17comments
Exercise Gives Structure to Hospital StayBack 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...reactions4comments
Financial Planning for Cancer PatientsA 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...reactions1comment
QuietusI 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...reactions8comments
Multiple Transplants, Many ReactionsWhen 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...reactions1comment
A 2 Week Treatment Break...FinallyA 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...reactions2comments
Finding My New NicheIf 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...reactions7comments
A Family Affair: Managing the Impact of Cancer on FamilyA cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming for family and others in your life. It may be necessary to actively work to promote supportive relationships at this difficult time. The challenges...reactions3comments
A Roller Coaster Called CancerWhen I was kid, I liked roller coasters. I wasn’t a roller coaster nut but I was a fan. What I didn’t like were the rides that spun you upside...reactions5comments
A Persistent Cold and Fatigue Sets InWell, it hasn’t been a great couple of weeks. After I wrote the post about still feeling good on a double dose, I noticed some things. And they aren’t great. My...reactions6comments
Beach Grass: This Community's Strong RootsAll my life I’ve been an introvert and a loner. Even in high school I didn’t belong to any clicks. I wasn’t a jock, or a nerd, or one of...reactions4comments
Honesty is the Best Policy: Dealing with Family that Can't Handle CancerLet me share a letter I recently wrote to a cousin who told me he would be happy to help me with an issue I had with my multiple myeloma...reactions20comments
Life of a SurvivorLife as a survivor for most may still include a busy day with the exception of having cancer. There we go with that word, but so many are hung up...reactions6comments
It Takes a Lot of Work to Ward Off Evil SpiritsOn Jan. 31st, 2009, I had my fourth bone marrow transplant. Do the easy math, and you’ll see that Jan 31st, 2019, marked 10 years from that momentous date. But...reactions1comment
Giving Yourself A Break. And A Break.Cancer is such a monumental, life-altering experience that it can be difficult not only to get through it but to return to “normal” afterwards. Normal. It’s a word that takes...reactions16comments
'Queen of Rashes' Not a Title to DesireA reader pointed out that in my post on going home after transplant, part two, I said I had a bad rash but never said what it was from and...reactionscomments
DocsplainingI recently came across a great hashtag on Twitter: #docsplaining. It comes from the word “mansplaining.” That word has been around for about 10 years now, and is used to...reactions9comments
Feeling Tired AgainI feel tired again. My legs hurt. I’ve had to cancel something because I just don’t have the energy for it. I don’t want this to start happening. I was hoping that...reactions1comment