DOES CANCER BECOME WHO WE ARE?

By Jane Biehl PhD Several of us bloggers have written about how cancer has impacted us. We fight to tell people “I am more than my cancer.” The slogan for Cure Today, which I love, is “I am more than a patient.” I certainly agree and there are many other aspects of......

CANCER SURVIVORS AND THE ART OF NAPPING!!!

I am so fortunate to have had my hearing ear dog, Sita, by my side for eleven years. Not only has this marvelous creature changed my life and made me feel safe by alerting me to noises, but her warm and sweet personality have guided me on my cancer journey. One of......

HOPE IS AROUND THE CORNER FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

I was feeling upset and depressed. I had a terribly insensitive oncologist early in my cancer journey who told me that the average length of time for this type of cancer was 104 months. The worst of it is she stated this with same emotion as asking me if I wanted a......

GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO RELAX!

I love to write – for me it is therapeutic and sort of like breathing. Therefore I have written a lot of articles for Cure because for me it is well - fun! Cure has a wonderful Facebook page. I follow it closely because I learn so much about different types of......

ATTITUDE MAKES A DIFFERENCE!

The attitude we have makes a huge difference in our lives and with cancer it can help us to live longer! I bought a doggy daily calendar online for 2019 with all different breeds of dogs. There is a wise saying for each day pictured with an adorable dog. I am truly......

VISION BOARDS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

Vision boards are both therapeutic and fun for cancer survivors and everyone else!  What is a Vision Board?  Oprah Winfrey explains it this way. “I was speaking with Michelle (Obama) and Caroline Kennedy and Maria Shriver –we were all doing a big rally out in California.  At the end of the rally......

CANCER SURVIVORS AND PARTIAL REMISSION: IF ONLY WE COULD FREEZE TIME

I think every one of us has wonderful periods of our life where we want to have nothing change. Then there are the other times when things are horrible and we can’t wait for everything to get better. It was my wonderful oncologist, Dr. Shruti Trehan, who gave me the phrase and......

PARTIAL CANCER REMISSION: TAKING IT ONE DAY AT A TIME

When I have my “what if”moments I remember this: Try to take things one day at a time I am in a curious, coveted, yet uncertain period of my cancer journey. “Remission” or what my doctor calls “partial remission” is here! A blood cancer such as mine is not curable. I have......

LIVING ON BORROWED TIME WITH CANCER

One of the greatest things about being a writer is that I have the opportunity to correspond with people with cancer from all over the world. Unfortunately, cancer is a universal disease. I have learned so much and am grateful for that. I spoke with a woman named Georgia, who was initially......

“NEVER GIVE UP”AFTER A CANCER DIAGNOSIS

“Never give up for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” Author and social activist Harriet Beecher Stowe spoke these famous words that can certainly have meaning for us cancer survivors. I’m sure I am not alone when I say I felt like throwing in the towel......

DERAIL THE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS!

Every cancer survivor has those days when the negative thoughts take over. Why not use visualization of video games to get rid of those self defeating ideas! As a former counselor, I used a lot of cognitive therapy with my clients. We know that the brain cannot handle two thoughts at the......

BE A VOICE NOT AN ECHO!

A cancer survivor urges all of us to express our concerns, and assist each other through our individual and collective voices. Recently, I was shopping with a friend and came across a pretty sign that stated, “Be a voice, not an echo.” We stared at each other, I said I had to......