Articles

I have a photo of my grandfather wearing a dress. No, he wasn't a drag queen. The picture I treasure shows Grandpa Roy Hawes, around four years old, standing next...

I remember reading a quote from a meme, it's actually funny because it just popped up! I did not go looking for it. At that moment, I was preparing myself...

I know one dog lover who didn’t do this and many others who have done it. I’m not against it but I’m not going to do it, at least I...

I learned today that I am going to soon lose a very close and new best friend due to some dramatic turns in my blood cancer. Who would have thought...

One of the very first things I experienced during Army basic training was the phrase hurry up and wait. The drill sergeants were constantly yelling at us to move quickly...

Food can mean more than just nourishment. It’s a way to share family time, share stories, meet up with friends, and even have fun with it. Making messes while cooking...

The internet is ripe with information on blood cancer and other cancers. Unfortunately, sometimes it can get to be a little too much. Perhaps it leaves you feeling like you...

I was totally unaware. But slowly I began to see that my time in the chemo lounge was passing more quickly and for some reason, the experience did not feel...

Not so Dear CML,You suck. I wish you’d go away and leave me alone. Yours truly, Susan. Only kidding. If you wrote a letter to your blood cancer, what would...

I’ve never written about this before because, frankly, I didn’t know how to approach it to make sure no one who reads it gets upset. Ha, ha, I know, right?...

The questions you must prepare to be asked the most are "How are you doing?", "How are you feeling?", and "Are you ok?". People especially ask when they first learn...

Living with cancer takes on so many responsibilities that sometimes get lost in the wind. Recently, I was intrigued with a program that gave light to how many in this...

Pain. The “P” word. It goes hand in hand with cancer, and yet so little is done about it until it’s an issue. So today I think we will talk...

When two people told me they were very anemic, I thought I could help even though their anemia was not caused by leukemia like mine was. I have a lot...

Finding out you have blood cancer is typically a huge shock – and then there are all the emotions that come next. For most people, what follows is a lot...

When my oncologist told me that I had myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) in 2017, she showed me a chart with my life expectancy as ten years. Recently, I received my new...

Whether you’re newly diagnosed or have been living as a survivor for a while, it’s best to prepare yourself for some scarring. Sometimes these scars will be a thing or...

Living to be 100 years old makes one a centenarian (pronounced cen-ten-air-e-an). I have been volunteering for Centenarians of Oklahoma since 2018. Oklahoma honors these folks with a certificate and our...

Previously, I spoke about my personal reaction to my diagnosis as a cancer patient speaking to another patient or cancer survivor(s). It's very different speaking to another cancer survivor about...

In Part 1, I talked about how I sometimes had a difficult time working while living with blood cancer. In those early years as a chronic myeloid leukemia patient, I...