Understanding Cancer Risk Part 2: Get Moving!

Posted January 11th, 2019

This blog series focuses on common risk factors, bust myths, improve health and reduce your cancer risk. Today’s topic is activity!

Understanding Cancer Risk Part 1: The Truth About Family History

Posted January 4th, 2019

This blog series focuses on common risk factors, bust myths, improve health and reduce your cancer risk, starting with understanding family history.

Looking for a Gift Idea? Cooking for Chemo…And After! May Fit the Bill

Posted December 6th, 2018

When I am buying a gift for someone, I try to think of something that will be useful or helpful in their life and fit with what I know about that person. When the person is going through cancer treatment, that can be a little more challenging. People often suggest a cozy blanket for treatment […]

It’s That Time Again – Get Your Flu Shot!

Posted September 25th, 2018

Fall is here again and that means the flu vaccine is back! You’re likely to see signs for it in the supermarket and the pharmacy. Take heed of these reminders and get your shot. Many people with cancer (and survivors) may be wondering how they can best prevent getting sick, and if they should be […]

Cancer: You Have a PR Problem

Posted September 19th, 2018

As an oncology nurse, I find myself holding my breath when I hear the TV talkers announce a celebrity cancer diagnosis. Not so much out of anticipation of the announcement, but waiting for the inevitable misinformation about to be spread. I’d like to post a request for proposals – is there a public relations firm […]

It’s Time to Bring Neuroendocrine Tumors (NETs) Out of the Shadows

Posted August 21st, 2018

Last week the world lost a music legend, Aretha Franklin. Many news organizations erroneously reported that she had passed away due to complications of pancreatic cancer. While Ms. Franklin was quite private about her health, she had spoken about her diagnosis on occasion. She actually did not have pancreatic cancer, but a neuroendocrine tumor in […]

Carolyn Vachani

See Your Mom/Brother/Son In Every Patient

Posted August 1st, 2018

A friend recently had to have an ultrasound to further examine something found on another test. She’s a nurse, so she knows the drill, but she was shocked at how things transpired during that visit. As she described to me each step and interaction with the radiology physician, I cringed. The way she was “greeted” […]

The Gift of Time in Advanced Cancer

Posted June 26th, 2018

I was watching the news the other day when two stories of tragedy caught my attention. The deaths of two people – one by gun violence, one a car accident – got me thinking about how the lives of these people’s families were changed in an instant. They didn’t have a chance to say good […]

Celebrate Survivors, But Remember It’s Not All Balloons and Confetti

Posted June 3rd, 2018

Every year, on the first Sunday in June, we recognize National Cancer Survivors Day (NCSD). It’s a day to celebrate the strength and resilience of survivors and caregivers and to provide inspiration to those facing a new diagnosis. But this day can be a reminder for many of an experience that changed life as they […]

11 Things to Know About Being a Cancer Survivor

Posted May 1st, 2018

Here at OncoLink, we are celebrating the 11th birthday of our survivorship care plan tool called OncoLife. Survivorship care plans and survivorship care can help people with cancer – and their caregivers – with many challenges. There are over 17 million cancer survivors in the US alone and they face a range of post treatment […]