Living

For the first time in over 11 years, I worried about blood test results, which was a strange place to be. I’m normally completely trusting that all will be ok or...

My long-term memory is still pretty decent (I think). I can still solve a quadratic equation using formulas I learned almost 50 years ago in algebra class, and sing the...

A few years ago, I found myself dealing with the adversity of cancer. I was feeling totally exhausted after chemotherapy and was expected to return to my full-time teaching position...

Back in my newspaper days, when telling someone what beat I covered, I would say something like, “I have arts and entertainment.” I also had the mental health beat, so...

Growing up I always liked numbers. In high school, I’d get bored and watch the clock and on a sheet of paper on my desk I’d keep track of how...

If you’ve read my past posts you’ve seen me mention The Big Climb where we trudge up the stairs of the tallest building in Washington State to raise money for...

A few days ago, my son sent me a text at 2:00am. He’s in college, and I know he’s been busy with a bunch of projects that he’s working hard...

Some days this diagnosis feels like I am sitting on death row, waiting for execution day to arrive. Every time I start a new treatment, it is as if yet...

Out of the blue in 2007 around 6 months after my diagnosis and being taken off Imatinib and waiting to go onto Dasatinib, I had IVF treatment to store my...

I’m not good at being tired. As I write this, I’m struggling to stay awake. I have things to do and stories to write, but I can do these things...

Cancer is such an awkward topic. What do you say to someone who has just been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness? How do you talk to them? What can you...

In this series, we discuss causes of anxiety for those facing a physical illness like blood cancer and its side effects. Phrases in quotes are the words of our community...

Today we’re going to talk about fear.  Anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer, anyone who knows a loved one or friend who has been diagnosed, or even anyone who...

A diagnosis of cancer is life-changing.  My family and friends insisted I seek a second opinion from a myeloma specialist, which is a doctor who only treats myeloma patients. I...

Once my treatment plan was in place, the first step was a port-a-cath. My oncologist casually mentioned that the port procedure was scheduled. I was overwhelmed by my recent diagnosis...

Well, I can’t really believe it. The 19th of January marked 12 years since my diagnosis. 12 years since I got *that* phone call. 12 years since my life was never...

Authors note: This is the second part of a two-part series. Here we discuss ways to improve the sex life of couples dealing with bloodcancer. Check out What About Sex?...

As a cancer patient receiving chemotherapy, I experienced not just the symptoms of the disease but also suffered debilitating fatigue. Taking a shower was like doing a day’s work. This...

In “Love, Medicine and Miracles,” the surgeon Bernie Siegel writes about a group of “exceptional cancer patients” whose positive attitude helped them heal. When I read it while in the...

Who would ever think that a discussion of whose cancer is more relevant than another’s would be had, yet we see this happen many times. Did you know there were...