The Blessings of Cancer

- May 21, 2009 -

Too many patients fight cancer these days After my years and occurrences of Lymphoma I no longer believe that fighting is the right approach to this disease At least not for me I believe that cancer like any other disease or major life happening is meant to be a life adventure It’s meant to teach us profound yet simple anchors along our journeys of enlightenment Like John Amatt Mount Everest Expedition Leader Author said Adventure isn't hanging on a rope off the side of a mountain Adventure is an attitude that we must apply to the day to day obstacles… Read More →

Gratitude for Chemo Brain

- May 12, 2009 -

For those of you who’ve never had chemo I’m going to give you a short example of what we call chemo brain and how it can affect the daily lives of cancer patients Most people can surmise that chemotherapy drugs are very strong and not well tolerated in general They carry with them a host of terrible side effects as well as lead to future diseases just by their administration Given these facts it shouldn’t be difficult to imagine that chemo can have mental side effects as well However it was only relatively recently that science has admitted that chemo… Read More →

"You're on your own Kid!"

- May 6, 2009 -

Congratulations You’re in remission What an awesome feeling Now what happens Ever feel this way You’re on your own kid Now instead of having a specific point person your oncologist quarterbacking your treatment plan you’ve likely got a bevy of random physicians that you spend time seeing occasionally But who’s in charge of handing off all the relevant data concerning your complex medical history to the next level of care providers Is it your job Is it your oncologist’s job Is it someone else’s job Or is it no one’s job Unfortunately all too often the latter is the reality… Read More →

My Cancer "Rock"

- April 21, 2009 -

Amy I were having a conversation last night about my cancer For those who don’t know I have one more chemo treatment tomorrow and then I take some CT scans I am fully expecting those scans to come back clean and be able to put this foe fully behind me for good For readers who’ve had cancer I don’t need to describe what the anxiety of upcoming scans can feel like inside The closer you get to a scheduled scan the more you worry about what the result will be It’s like you’re waiting on death row hoping the governor… Read More →

Cancer as Career Training?

- April 19, 2009 -

So I was sitting in the chemo room last Wednesday just observing my environment as usual As a five-time cancer survivor I have been coming to Dr Jeff’s office for more than years now But during this particular visit I tied some of my past with my NOW and hatched an idea In a flicker of apparent mental clarity I realized that even cancer’s membership has its privileges When I’m at Dr Jeff’s office I get the warmest collective preferential treatment possible So much so that I actually enjoy my time spent there even in the Chemo Lounge Dr Jeff… Read More →