Month: December 2018

Cancer May Steal my Health; It Won’t Take my Joy

When you can’t control what’s happening, challenge yourself to control the way you respond to what’s happening. That’s where your power is.

Have you seen this meme floating around on social media? It really spoke to me.

It reminded me of my friend Jane. I first met Jane about a year ago when she sent me a long email after reading a blog I had written. Jane has a couple of kids, a loving husband, and a thriving business. And cancer. Her cancer, unfortunately, overshadows everything that is good in her life.

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Listening in on what a Member of Congress Says about Cancer

Have you heard of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)? Every September, they present a Cancer Progress Report to Congress. I just spent some time on their Web site, listening to some of the 2018 survivors’ stories. This year, The Honorable Mark DeSaulnier, D-California was among those featured.

Taxpayer dollars funding research

Maybe it is because of my background in accounting, but I was struck by the way Representative DeSaulnier spoke about the “return on investment” that Americans get when taxpayer dollars are spent on National Institutes of Health (NIH) programs.

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The Empty Chair at Holidays

We are entering the time of year that joins families far and wide together. We celebrate Thanksgiving and then come Hanukah and Christmas celebrations. It is a blessed and sacred time for many of us.

Remembering my son this season

It is also a time of reflection and sorrow, especially if you, like me, have an empty chair at the table this season. The holidays take on a whole different dimension when we’re celebrating all that is good in the world when it doesn’t necessarily feel like anything is.

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Patience … It’s not easy, but it is worth it

When you are first diagnosed with lung cancer, everything seems to move at breakneck speed on one hand and on the other hand, time flows like molasses. You rush from one test to the next. My primary care doctor (PCP) felt a suspicious knot on my collarbone and astutely sent me for a CT scan that very day. The CT scan showed suspicious activity in my lungs so my PCP ordered a PET scan. The PET scan couldn’t happen until insurance approved its cost. Time slowed while we waited for that approval.

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