Clik here to view.
Red is the New Pink
Embed from Getty Images When I turned 27, I bought my first car. When I turned 49, I experienced my first cancer diagnosis (and I hope, my last). The car I bought was a sensible choice, a used four...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Harp, Moon River, and Me
Embed from Getty Images I tend to live in my head, to lean into my intellect. “What does that mean?” Gary asked when I described it. I rephrased, “I’m more of a thinker than a feeler.” My husband...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What’s Wrong with US Healthcare? Let’s Talk About Advil.
Embed from Getty Images “Do you have any Advil with you?” a tech asked me. I was having a port installed. Prior to cancer treatment, my husband thought a port was a place to park a very big boat. I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Paradox of Cancer, the Paradox of Life
Embed from Getty Images “It was my year off from the world,” a nurse told me when I was in the Emergency Room with side effects from chemo. He had had cancer too, and it took him a year to get...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ouch! Waxing for Real, Not Just Philosophically, After My Breast Cancer
Embed from Getty Images “That’ll go away,” Dr. Hope Rugo told me. It was my first visit with an oncologist after my breast cancer surgery. I could hear a vacuum cleaner in the background, and janitors...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What the Cancer Survivor Learned from the Immigrant (It’s True for All of Us)
Embed from Getty Images “We didn’t have indoor plumbing,” Claudia told me. She was inches from my face, holding a weird-looking camera to my gums as I pulled my cheeks into slightly painful, awkward...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Aviate, Navigate, Communicate — Three Words that Could Save Your Life
Embed from Getty Images “Could I have some water? Gary bent his head closer. Apparently, my husband couldn’t hear me. I couldn’t remember ever being so thirsty, and I felt too weak to talk. We were...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Let’s Talk About Nipples
Embed from Getty Images Excuse me a minute, but can I say “nipple?” It’s a word we don’t say much, especially in mixed company, but, well, it’s kind of important. In all the conversations I’ve had...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Day I Talked My Way Out of a Ticket by Saying (Almost) Nothing at All
“I think that’s everything.” Gary shoved our suitcase into the car and slammed the door shut. It was time for our long drive north from Palo Alto to our rural community 200 miles north. That morning I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Really? Who Steals Shoes from a Hospital Room?
Embed from Getty Images A doctor came into my room with a needle in his hand. “This is going to hurt,” he said. He did little to hide the sadness he felt about the pain he had to inflict, tears...
View ArticleClik here to view.
If You or a Loved One is Facing Chemo — 10 Tips to Help You Through
Embed from Getty Images Chemo! Yikes! If you’re starting chemotherapy soon, you might be freaking out. But before you do, remember that lots of people have braved this path before you and many more...
View ArticleClik here to view.
10 Things a Cancer Patient Should Never Hear from their Healthcare Provider
Embed from Getty Images Nearly all the healthcare professionals I know are amazing people, but we can all learn from mistakes. Here are some standouts from my experience that I hope no other patient...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Graduation I Thought I Might Not Live to See
Embed from Getty Images My nephew graduated from dental school this month. He walked across the stage holding his 2-year-old, and suddenly the little boy I used to know was all grown up and had become...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Can You Survive Chemo Without Losing Your Hair?
Embed from Getty Images The morning of my first chemo session, four blue coolers with hinged white lids, built-in retractable handles, and giant black tires on the hand truck carrying them lined the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Can You Survive Chemo Without Losing Your Hair? (Part 2)
Embed from Getty Images (A continuation of the story posted in this column last week.) The night before my first chemo session, my husband layered dry ice with rented gel caps into four coolers. He’d...
View Article
