GETTING OLD IS NOT THE SAME AS BEING ILL

I am in my late sixties when many of my peers are experiencing the problems of aging. One of my closest friend attended an arthritis seminar where she was told her ailment was a result of TMB – too many birthday! There is some sort of sick logic to this statement! On......

IS CHEMO FOG FUNNY?

Yes it seems funny when I tell people my stories. I go and open a can of tuna for my dog and cat. They are both spoiled fur babies and love their night time tuna treat. The next evening I go to the refrigerator and cannot find the tuna. Shrugging, I think......

CANCER CARE AND THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT

When we are discouraged, depressed and ill, it is easy to feel insignificant and meaningless. We are only one of billions of people on this earth. I truly believe this is one of the reasons for the high suicide rate. While we are in bed nauseous from chemo, recovering from surgery, or......

HOW FRIENDSHIP CAN GET YOU THROUGH CANCER

One of the healing aspects we tend to forget or downplay on our cancer journey is the value of support from friends. Research has documented how essential friends are in order to have the mind/body/spirit connection in our continuous fight against cancer. Stanford University is on the cutting else in their studies......

CANCER IS LIKE A BASEBALL GAME?

When I was a counselor in a state vocational agency, I worked with people with disabilities ranging from head trauma, blindness, deafness, or learning disabilities. Some of my clients would approach me ashamed of their disability, and not wanting to ask for any kind of help. I would explain to them that......

KEEPING BALANCE AFTER CHEMOTHERAPY

The definition of balance is “The body’s ability to remain stable while standing, sitting or moving about.” This sounds simple enough – right? Unless you are on chemo. The Cancer Treatment Centers of America outline several balance problems with cancer survivors, including altered or irregular step, unusual clumsiness, a chronic fatigue that......

CANCER:YOU CAN’T DO IT ALONE

Recently I published a book on my cancer journey titled “Life is short – eat the donut!” I insisted on giving a copy to one of my dearest friends, who has helped me the most. It was she who was with me on my initial visits to the doctor ,when I was......

SOME DAYS ALL WE CAN DO IS TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES

I look around my apartment heaving a huge sigh. Laundry is piled on my spare bed waiting to be folded. Clean dishes in the dishwasher need to be put away before my next meal. Trash is overflowing in my wastepaper baskets. However, I feel too tired and weak from my low blood......

LEARNING MY LIMITS THE HARD WAY!

I am on a wonderful vacation cruising through Canada and ready to have the time of my life. My oncologist took me off chemo so I would not experience the nasty side effects. I had been eagerly anticipating this vacation for months. Step by painful step I am walking through picturesque Quebec......

HOW LONG DO CHEMO SIDE EFFECTS LAST?

I have a blood type of cancer and will always be on chemo. I was told this from the beginning of my diagnosis. As one could predict, the effects have worsened over the past eight years. I have continuously been on chemo and more side effects seem to pop up each month.......

ONE OF MY ARTICLES WAS USED FOR WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY!!!

...

ON CANADIANS, THE COLD AND CANCER

I recently returned from a scenic and wonderful cruise to the eastern seaboard of Canada along the St. Lawrence Seaway. I visited several communities. In Canada, they do not call these population centers villages, cities or towns, but communities. Every sign on the road as you drive along says welcome to our......