With only a few days until Christmas, I’m doing everything I can to channel that strength and use it to begin 2017 on a grateful and optimistic note.
Cancer Support
If someone you know is battling cancer, send them a box of love! Fill the care package with thoughtful items that will be useful during treatment. Watch the video for tips!
There are certain times of year when my cancer story makes me feel incredibly isolated. There’s the time surrounding April 14, the day I was diagnosed, July 29, the day I was deemed “in remission” and, the one I’ve experienced most recently, the month of October.
After a recent appointment at Roswell Park, I was suddenly awash with emotion, almost on the verge of tears. My brain was flooded with the enormity of my entire experience, starting of course with the brutal reality that I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 36.
For every amazing, caring friend, there’s another who has drifted away. The one who wholeheartedly promised, “if you need anything, I’m here,” and wasn’t. There are just some friends, for whatever reason, who won’t be there for you, even if you really want them or need them in your corner.
When a co-worker reveals that they are battling cancer, it can be difficult to know what to say or how to act.
FOMO, the abbreviated slang meaning “fear of missing out,” is a huge mental and emotional side effect of being a young adult cancer survivor and represents just a sliver of the unique challenges we have to face during and well after the fight of our lives.
For me, the negative results meant we still couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong, and I'd have to be poked and prodded with more needles.
It's easy to assume that CT scans, MRIs and X-rays are a painless part of the cancer treatment process. But as scan day approaches, the fear and anxiety grows too big to ignore. This common feeling is called scanxiety. And for patients, survivors and family members, the stress can interfere with quality of life.
While your stomach can handle these harsh substances, they cause irritation in your esophagus, and over time, they can damage it.
For many, enjoying time outdoors in a garden on a sunny day is a favorite summer pursuit. Studies show that gardening helps reduce stress, improve mental and physical health and helps with depression.
In 1998 at age 24, I worked for a Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives, and I had plans for law school. But, the unexpected happened when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor.