22 Ways to Support Your Newly-Diagnosed Friend
Posted March 6th, 2017
Marlys Johnson
Over the past few years, a number of people have asked about best ways to support a newly-diagnosed-with-cancer friend, neighbor, or family member. Or how to support a close friend who just learned a loved one had cancer. Keeping in mind that every cancer patient will be at a different place in terms of diagnosis, long-term prognosis, and state […]
Nice People Abound in the Cancer World
Posted March 1st, 2017
Bob Riter
One of the volunteers at the Cancer Resource Center recently said to me, “Every person I meet with cancer is nice.” It’s an interesting observation and one that other volunteers have made as well. I’ve been in the cancer world for more than 20 years and I think it’s generally true. Not because nice people […]
A Field Guide to Family Members of Cancer Patients
Posted January 6th, 2017
Bob Riter
There are a variety of styles that spouses and other close family members adopt to help a family member with cancer. Here are several negative styles that I’ve observed through the years as well as the style that is most likely to be helpful. Combatants are always looking to pick a fight, often with doctors […]
15 Ways to Rock Cancer Caregiving
Posted November 2nd, 2016
Marlys Johnson
“Honey, I can do that for you.” Hubby couldn’t reach his feet due to swelling, and I offered to clip his toenails. I’m sorry to report that I may have clipped the top of his big toe. (But only because he jerked in anticipation of me clipping the top of his toe.) In view of my […]
Stopping Treatment Is Not Giving Up
Posted October 13th, 2016
Bob Riter
I sometimes hear from individuals with advanced cancer who continue with aggressive treatment because their loved ones exhort them to “not give up.” Some family members go so far as to say that stopping treatment is the same as committing suicide. It’s not. I wish that we could reframe this discussion because when people choose […]
Blood Cancer Awareness Month
Posted September 9th, 2016
Karen Arnold-Korzeniowski, BSN, RN
September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month. What is a blood cancer you may ask? A blood cancer is a cancer that affects your blood cells including how they are produced by the body and how they function. In these cancers, the development of blood cells is interrupted by the growth of abnormal types of blood […]
No, I Don’t Know What You’re Going Through…But I’m Here Anyway
Posted August 4th, 2016
Angelo Melendez
When I was seven years old, if you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, my most probable response would have been “Lawyer!” It’s likely, too, that you would have been taken aback by the confidence in which I gave that response. As I’m sure most people know, life’s journey is […]
Take Me Out To The…Cancer Game
Posted July 14th, 2016
Christina Bach, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C
Last night, like many others, I settled in to watch the mid-summer classic, the MLB All Star game. It’s not so much a game, as it is a spectacle. Last night, it also became a cancer spectacle—of standing up and never giving up the fight. This morning, as I thought about it more, I got […]
We Have Cranky Days
Posted July 8th, 2016
Bob Riter
A woman going through cancer treatment was having a bad day. She was miserable and her friends were offering words of encouragement along the lines of, “You’ll feel better tomorrow.” She told me that the encouragement didn’t help. She said that it was like wearing cold, wet clothes. Hearing that she’ll soon have warm, dry […]
Living with a Rare Cancer
Posted March 31st, 2016
Bob Riter
The most common cancers in adults are prostate, breast, lung, and colorectal. Combined, these cancers account for nearly half of all cancer diagnoses. Other relatively common cancers include melanoma, kidney, leukemia and bladder. If you were diagnosed with breast cancer this past year, you might be comforted (and/or disturbed) to learn that some 235,000 other […]