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.
Cancer Support
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.
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.
While your stomach can handle these harsh substances, they cause irritation in your esophagus, and over time, they can damage it.
When radiation therapy is delivered from outside the body, it travels through the skin to the tumor, damaging healthy skin cells along the way. This can lead to radiation dermatitis (irritated skin), which can last several weeks after treatment ends.
In the words of one patient, oncology massage is like "a vacation from cancer." It's a relaxing, pleasurable escape from everything that is going on.
For nearly four years, a statue bearing the likeness of a beloved Roswell Park volunteer has welcomed visitors to our Kaminski Park and Gardens, located outside the main hospital. Monty, Roswell Park’s first-ever therapy dog, serves as a reminder of the compassionate power of animals, now memorialized in the form of a custom statue.
We asked, you answered! While most people mean well and have great intentions, finding the right words to say to a cancer patient can be challenging.
One day Barb Murak stopped by the waiting room of the Urology Clinic at Roswell Park and noticed several guys flipping idly through Field & Stream magazine, heads down, as they waited for their appointments. She had an idea.
If a loved one is dealing with a cancer diagnosis during the holiday season, reach out and suggest what you can do to help. It’s a common wish for the holidays to be as normal as possible and to celebrate like they always have, but limitations of energy and finances loom large.
Chemotherapy is tough. It’s a long and tedious process that sometimes includes curveballs before getting better. Fortunately, there are things you can do to make your chemotherapy treatment easier to navigate.