Wishing That Remission Meant an End of TreatmentI get weirdly jealous of those, who had often gone through horrific treatment, who get the all clear which means an end of treatment. I want that. And I know...reactions12comments
Simple Things in Life Can Make a DifferenceThe objects that we encounter every day can remind us that the simplest things in life can make a big difference. The cancer patient will go through different stages during...reactionscomments
Working When Chronically Ill: Navigating Workplace AccommodationsDepending on the nature of an individual’s chronic condition (including mental health conditions and physical conditions, such as cancer, chronic pain, nervous system disorders, and many more) and how it...reactionscomments
How Long Do I Have?When I was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma, a friend who is also a pediatric oncologist, warned me not to Google life expectancy. She cautioned whatever number I found wouldn't reflect...reactions5comments
Nice to Meet You, I’m RacheliHi! So nice to meet you. I’m Racheli and I am so excited to be creating content for you! I hope to share with you how to use mindfulness to...reactionscomments
Do You Have a Survivorship Care Plan?Fortunately, the number of cancer survivors are increasing. However, cancer treatments are not without consequence and survivors must deal with the long-term effects of treatment. The Institute of Medicine (IOM)...reactionscomments
When Someone Says the Wrong ThingIt seems like every cancer patient I know can tell the same story. Someone hears that the patient has cancer, and says something insensitive. Maybe it’s a friend or family...reactions3comments
Babies... Will They Ever Be Mine?This is a very emotional subject for me. I can’t think about it too much or I get too upset. The thought of never having my own children makes me...reactionscomments
Teaching Hospitals: The Good and the BadThe benefit of being at a teaching hospital is that you get access to a wealth of knowledge and many opinions. That is the downside also. I can’t count the...reactionscomments
Life After Cancer: The Emotional Fall OutWhen I was diagnosed with leukemia, my self-esteem was not in great condition. I remember specifically thinking to myself “nobody will even know that I’m gone.” As a junior in...reactions5comments
Yoga... And Then SomeTo categorize this next blog, it’d be under the "health & wellness category" (stay with me) and I give writing inspiration credit to the ever popular “day” declaration. This one...reactions1comment
An Unexpected HospitalizationAfter ten months of a “watch and wait” approach for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, I was faced with enlarging lymph nodes, which were threatening to cause damage to my organs. My oncologist...reactionscomments
Reaching Equilibrium with Your CancerLike most of us, the date I was diagnosed with cancer is etched in my memory. May 2, 2011. In terms of specifics, I remember what the doctor was saying...reactionscomments
Telling the Children Requires a Certain State of MindA brochure called “What Do I Tell the Children?” caught my eye at Dana-Farber’s Blum Patient and Family Resource Center when I arrived early for a checkup and browsed through...reactions4comments
Role Reversal: After My Cancer, Becoming a CaregiverLast fall, I found myself as both a cancer survivor of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and caregiver. My husband became critically ill and was hospitalized for over six weeks in an acute...reactionscomments
MGUS and the Multiple Myeloma ConnectionMonoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a medical condition characterized by increased levels of M protein in the blood. M (monoclonal) protein, also called a paraprotein, is produced by...reactions10comments
Dating After CancerI think we can all agree that dating can be tough, but dating after cancer is on a completely different level. Going through chemotherapy at 25 years old left me...reactionscomments
Fertility, Fatigue, and Figuring Out the Right Treatment RegimenAfter graduating from Edinburgh and leaving consultant number 1 behind (very happily!), I came under the care of consultant number 2 in London who was also pretty awful. To begin...reactionscomments
Deciding if a Support Group is Right for YouCancer patients often experience significant distress and can have a reduced quality of life. Cancer support groups involve the provision of emotional support informally or through structured intervention. The group...reactionscomments
After Transplant, Missing, Then Savoring, StrawberriesStrawberry season in Massachusetts – late June to early July – makes me think of the times after transplant when I couldn’t eat this sweet fruit with the sunshiny, summery...reactions2comments