Blog
Here you will find useful articles filled with practical information and encouragement for your cancer journey.
Embracing Resilience: How to Cultivate Strength in the Face of Trauma
We all know that life is full of surprises, and not all are pleasant. But there is a way to help deal with life's setbacks; by developing resilience.
Healing: A Journey Towards Wellness
I wish I could give you the secret to how to heal quickly. Unfortunately, the process of healing is not a quick fix, but rather a staged process with an undefined timeline. The stages of healing are not like chapters in a book where once you finish it, it is over. Oftentimes the stages overlap and some stages you go through more quickly than others.
I Was Whole, but Then I Got Cancer
This is the story of a breast cancer survivor as told in her own words. The intent of this story is not to seek pity, but rather to encourage other cancer patients through their treatments and to accept their new state of “whole”.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month or Cancer Awareness Month. But what should you be aware of?
Unseen Challenges of Cancer Care
Going through cancer care is hard. There are many challenges facing cancer patients, and most of their challenges are unseen.
In this article, I will present just a few of the unseen challenges of cancer care. I say just a few because there are so many challenges, and challenges are different for each cancer patient.
I have divided the challenges into six categories that are in no particular order.
I Don’t Have Cancer, but Cancer Still Has Me
Even though I don’t have cancer, cancer still has me. I was successfully treated for breast cancer, but I can’t completely put cancer out of my mind. Cancer is like a brewing storm. Sometimes the rumbles of thunder are low and far away. Other times cancer flashes back into my life like a lightning bolt.
Supporting Body, Mind, and Spirit Through Cancer Treatments
Cancer treatments take a toll on the body, mind, and spirit in many ways. Oncology massage, acupuncture, physical therapy, integrative medicine, and healing touch are just a few ways to support your body, mind, and spirit through cancer treatments.
Yesterday I Was Your Child
Yesterday I was your child. Today I am your caregiver. How did I get here?
I know how you are feeling right now. I’ve been there…twice. Becoming a caregiver for your parent who has cancer can be quite bewildering.
What happened to cause you to become your parent’s caregiver?
Allow me to anticipate some of the challenges you are facing as you become a caregiver to your parent.
Radiation Therapy Questions Answered
Cancer. Not something you want to have, but you do. You have so many questions in general about cancer, and now you have been told you need to have radiation therapy. That brings so many more questions to your mind.
This article will look at some questions regarding radiation therapy and help you find answers about this treatment.
Recovery From Surgery Part Three
This is the third and final part of “Recovery from Surgery”. In part one we discussed things to do before your surgery to help you once you have surgery. In part two we talked a lot about wound care. In this final article, we will talk about what recovery from surgery looks like.
Recovery From Surgery Part Two
This is part two of a three-part series on how to recover from surgery. In part one we discussed things to do before your surgery to help you once you do have surgery.
This article will focus on immediate post-surgery tasks as well as where your recovery will take place.
Recovery From Surgery Part One
You are scheduled to have surgery soon. The time to start your recovery is before you even have surgery. You have so many things on your mind that you need to do before the big day gets here. Let me help you get ready with this list of things to prepare for after surgery.
Prepping for Pre-op and Post-op
Your cancer specialist has determined that surgery is the next step in your cancer journey. Depending on your type of cancer, it may be a simple and minor surgery, a complex and major surgery, or something in between. This article will discuss some things to do to prepare for your upcoming surgery.
8 Things to Expect on Your First Day of Chemotherapy
Throughout this series, we have talked about things leading up to this day, your first day of chemotherapy. But now the big day is here. Are you nervous? I know I was. I didn’t know what to expect, how I would feel, or even when I would start noticing any side effects of the chemo medicine.
That’s why I wrote this article for you. Hopefully, after reading this article, you will be better prepared than I was for your first day of chemotherapy.
Six Ways to Help the Helpers of a Chemotherapy Patient
Watching a loved one deal with the side effects of chemo can be difficult. And even more so if you do not have a medical background that can help you anticipate some of what your loved one will experience, much less how to deal with the side effects of chemo.
How to Conquer Chemotherapy Side Effects
Chemotherapy attacks cancer cells to arrest them and prevent them from growing and duplicating. But in the process, many normal cells are also affected throughout the body. Read on to see some of the side effects of chemo and ways to prevent or treat these side effects.
Access to Chemo Port Information
How do I get a chemo port?
You will have a minor surgical procedure to get the port put in. The procedure can be done in interventional radiology in the radiology department, or in a regular operating room. The surgery can be done by an interventional radiologist or by a surgeon.
Lifting the Mask of Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a special type of medicine used to treat cancer. It works by interfering with the division of rapidly dividing cells in your body.
Cancer cells are one type of cells that divide rapidly, but not the only kind.
Stepping into the Unfamiliar World of Cancer
Cancer cells start out as normal cells, but something happens to their DNA and their master file is not the same as normal cells anymore. Instead, these cancer cells now have a master file that is different from the genes of normal cells.
Let me try to explain cancer a bit differently
How to Support Someone Who Has Cancer
How to Support Someone Who Has Cancer is written from a patient's point of view of how a friend can support someone who has cancer, support their family, and support their self.