You never think it will be you. You go about your days making plans, imagining futures, dreaming ordinary dreams. Life feels steady, predictable. And then it isn’t. One phone call. One scan. One… Continue reading
In 1948, two French scientists noticed something unexpected in their lab samples: fragments of DNA drifting in blood plasma. At the time, the discovery seemed trivial, even puzzling. DNA, after all, was supposed… Continue reading
You’ve likely heard people talk about “chemo brain”—or maybe you’ve even felt it yourself. It’s that foggy sensation that can make it tough to find the right word, recall a friend’s name, or… Continue reading
So few grains of happiness measured against all the dark and still the scales balance. – Jane Hirshfield “The Weighing” I’ve been reflecting on these lines from Jane Hirshfield’s poem The Weighing and how its… Continue reading
In many cultures, greetings are often seen as polite and routine exchanges. However, in some Muslim cultures, there exists a profound dimension to these everyday interactions. When someone asks, “How are you?” in… Continue reading
I discovered that today, September 16th is ‘Tattoo Story Day’. While I am not sure if this is a day that’s universally marked, it gives me the prompt I need to tell the… Continue reading
Checking my August Awareness Day Calendar, I discovered that today, August 30th is designated as Grief Awareness Day. Sometimes I feel we are awash with grief in our community. Not just in our… Continue reading
Are you looking for a new job after cancer treatment? Perhaps you left your last employment after your diagnosis, or maybe you are still in your current job but want a fresh start… Continue reading
“In a society which is much more inclined to help you hide your pain rather than to grow through it, is necessary to make a very conscious effort to mourn.” – Henri Nouwen Grief… Continue reading
T for this week’s round-up of the best of the blog posts which I’ve read over the past week. These are the posts that have moved me, taught me something, inspired me, and which I’ve wanted to share with you. Don’t forget if you have written a post which you would like readers to see, just […]
The Thing Is to love life, to love it evenwhen you have no stomach for itand everything you’ve held dearcrumbles like burnt paper in your hands,your throat filled with the silt of it.When… Continue reading
The Butterfly Effect For Marie Ennis O’Connor So close and still Quietly far away From the company Who chose you The day you heard The word we all Heard. Echoes In a canyon… Continue reading
26 posts. 26 days. 26 letters of the alphabet, one blog post beginning with each letter. H is for Hair I started this blog a few years after my breast cancer diagnosis and… Continue reading
This quote from Barry Lopez’s allegorical novella might at first seem like a poetic ideal, far removed from the complex realities of modern healthcare. But in my work as a patient advocate, Badger’s… Continue reading
What was your best blog post of 2025? Take a few minutes to look back over your own writing and revisit the posts that resonated most. Maybe there’s one that performed particularly well,… Continue reading
Staying current with healthcare news is essential for patient advocates. However, the sheer volume of information available can be overwhelming. It can be challenging to sift through all the noise to find the… Continue reading
And so, here we are again, on the cusp of a new year, and I have been reflecting on what to write today. I could wish all of you who have had troubles… Continue reading
The benefits of physical activity for people who have undergone treatment for breast cancer are numerous, from reducing fatigue to helping regain a sense of well-being. However, as with diet recommendations, it can… Continue reading
In advance of International Clinical Trials Day on May 20th I have developed, in partnership with patient engagement company, merakoi, a survey to identify patient understanding of early phase clinical trials and the factors that… Continue reading
I actually posted this poem last Friday – it was almost like I had a presentiment of losing Ilene – and she commented to thank me for sharing her poem. Reading it again… Continue reading
Time for this week’s round-up of the best of the blog posts which I’ve read over the past week. These are the posts that have moved me, taught me something, inspired me, and which I’ve wanted to share with you. Don’t forget if you have written a post which you would like readers to see, just […]
Nancy’s now annual Summer Blog Hop is here and I’ve missed taking part in previous years, so I promised myself not to miss it this year. I love this way for us to… Continue reading
Last month I asked for your suggestions for thoughtful and practical gifts for newly diagnosed cancer patients. Thank you for your super ideas which I turned into a post for Patient Empowered Network.… Continue reading
I’m putting together my regular monthly article for the Patient Empowerment Foundation, and this month I’m asking the question – what do you do when your doctor tells you not to Google? This… Continue reading
Those who follow me on my social media channels will know that in my other life outside of this blog I am a social media writer, trainer and consultant. I’m part of the… Continue reading
Today is World Mental Health Day, which is observed on 10 October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental… Continue reading
My beautiful friend Pasha Hogan is offering a free live event this Sunday September 20th on the topic of cultivating compassion in challenging times. The literal root of the word compassion is “to… Continue reading
A familiar name on the tip of your tongue, keys misplaced, a train of thought derailed in the middle of a sentence. If what I’ve just described sounds familiar, you may be experiencing… Continue reading
It’s with great sadness that I write of the death of our friend Jan Baird Hasak. Older readers of this blog will remember Jan as a gracious part of our community. Jan was… Continue reading
Today is World Mental Health Day, which is observed on 10 October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental… Continue reading
“Writing means revealing oneself to excess” – Franz Kafka Occasionally when I write something on this blog, I pause before hitting the “publish” button and wonder have I revealed too much of myself?… Continue reading
This one goes out to all of my blogging friends who haven’t blogged in a while, particularly those who wait for inspiration (and perfection) to strike. I know what this is like –… Continue reading
“Survivor guilt” is a not uncommon reaction to surviving a traumatic event that others have died in, for example, survivors of combat, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, or air crashes. Survivors feel guilty that… Continue reading
26 posts. 26 days. 26 letters of the alphabet, one blog post beginning with each letter. S is for Scanxiety It may not be officially part of the medical lexicon yet, but “scanxiety”… Continue reading
We lost one of my most beloved poets yesterday. The incomparable Mary Oliver. Since I first started sharing poems here, she is the poet I return to again and again. Her poems are… Continue reading
Now I know I am in danger of generalizing here, but through personal observation, I have noticed that many cancer survivors are high-achieving, driven, perfectionists with very high expectations of how they should be after their… Continue reading
T for this week’s round-up of the best of the blog posts which I’ve read over the past week. These are the posts that have moved me, taught me something, inspired me, and which I’ve wanted to share with you. Don’t forget if you have written a post which you would like readers to see, just […]
Has cancer made you tired? Want to get un-tired? Then you will want to hear about a new app to help with cancer-related fatigue. It’s called Untire and it is based on many… Continue reading
Today is my birthday. I am now of a “certain age”, but like my mother before me, I don’t talk about age. Anne Lamott is a writer I admire hugely and her quote… Continue reading
If I am encouraging you to take up my weekly writing prompt, I really should be joining you. I need the inspiration too! The first thing I thought of this morning was the… Continue reading
If I put this post off any longer I will never get round to it, so here goes! 1. How long have you been blogging (or reading blogs)? I started my blog in… Continue reading
Time for this week’s round-up of the best of the blog posts which I’ve read over the past week. These are the posts that have moved me, taught me something, inspired me, and which I’ve wanted to share with you.
Love after Love The time will comewhen, with elationyou will greet yourself arrivingat your own door, in your own mirrorand each will smile at the other’s welcome, and say, sit here. Eat.You will… Continue reading
Time for this week’s round-up of the best of the blog posts which I’ve read over the past week. These are the posts that have moved me, taught me something, inspired me, and which I’ve wanted to share with you.
IN PASSINGby Lisel Mueller How swiftly the strained honeyof afternoon lightflows into darkness and the closed bud shrugs offits special mysteryin order to break into blossom: as if what exists, existsso that it… Continue reading
