Would You Want to be in the Box?

Posted November 29th, 2010

Is there anything worse than death? Well, maybe. Is a “bad” death is worse than a “good” death? This week I watched an episode of the PBS Frontline series, Facing Death, which is about how patients, families and the medical system deal with “end of life” treatment. If you missed it, you can watch it […]

A CancerLand Holiday Wishlist…or Please Help Me Get Through the Season

Posted November 22nd, 2010

Holidays can be happy, happy, merry, merry or holidays can get on your last nerve. You know what I mean? Honestly, it’s true. And trust me, cancer may have very little to do with it. The season that starts with Thanksgiving and climaxes with New Year’s Day can drain anyone dry, even if you’re in […]

CancerLand Bookshelf: Her Doctor Prescribes Dancing at Daybreak

Posted November 16th, 2010

I hate patient intake forms, don’t you? Here’s what bothers me: Typically, these forms are delivered to us attached to a clipboard, by a harried front desk person who is busy juggling incoming phone calls and insurance co-pays. These forms have way too many spaces to be filled in. Empty places for the basics: name, […]

If You Bungle Raising Your Children…

Posted November 12th, 2010

If you bungle raising your children, I don’t think whatever else you do well matters very much.” -Jacqueline Kennedy Ah, how I loved Jackie….and especially this quote. It is something I live my life by both before and after cancer. Just think about it for a minute. It really says so many things on so […]

Alternatives That Can Help

Posted November 8th, 2010

This blog is later than I had hoped for, but life intervenes, and then I decided to change the topic. I realized recently after a series of “coincidences” (I quote that because anyone who knows me, knows I don’t believe there are any coincidences in the world – everything happens for a reason, you just […]

CancerLand Bookshelf: Songs from a Lead-Lined Room

Posted November 5th, 2010

Memoirs lined up on the CancerLand Bookshelf are often filled with powerful life lessons, painstakingly learned on the long journey to recovery. Last week, almost twelve years to the day after my own cancer diagnosis, I faced up to a daunting challenge that helped me finally make peace with my biggest cancer-related loss to date. […]

The Teddy Bear for Adults

Posted November 2nd, 2010

Our lives are constantly changing. Sometimes that change is at a glacial speed. It’s just another day at the office. The same ‘ol same ‘ol every day. Sometimes that change is lightning fast and will forever impact your life. A lay off, the sudden death of a loved one, maybe a cancer diagnosis. The only […]