Living

For all the readers and thinkers out there who have landed here to read about managing chemo brain...I am speaking directly to you. I thought that I would read 10...

During a cancer diagnosis and treatment, there will be times where you know you need help. There will also be times where you may not be ready to ask for...

At the moment, I am sitting in the atrium of the hospital waiting for my PET scan appointment. This seems to be customary nowadays, happening time and time again. But...

I’m not going to lie, sometimes I forget that I had cancer. That brief moment of bliss and detachment is the hardest part to cope with because once I snap...

When the pharmacist said I would be starting to lose my hair in 2 weeks, I knew I would want to buzz my hair at the first sign of hair...

This article was originally published on BladderCancer.net by TK Sellman. Published research confirms that insomnia affects between half and three-quarters of all people who have been diagnosed with cancer. Other...

I won the lottery when it came to my lead oncologist. She’s not only literally my lifesaver, but she’s my friend and partner in crime when it comes to awareness...

Cancer was traumatic for me. And it hit me 7 days after I rang the Victory Bell. I was a champ during the diagnosis, with 6 chemotherapy treatments, 3 CT scans...

The day that I received my diagnosis of ovarian cancer, I was referred to a local oncologist. When I met with the oncologist, she told me I needed surgery as...

I'm thankful for my blood clots. They presented themselves inside both lung cavities, and they are the reason why my ovarian cancer was discovered early. I visited the ER because...

For those of us who had an active lifestyle prior to being diagnosed with cancer, determining how we maintain some movement after diagnosis/surgery/during treatment, and/or how do we start again...

This article was originally published on LungCancer.net by Alison Petok, MSW, LCSW, MPH. “Hospice” can be a scary word for patients and families, but in reality, it is a wonderful...

Losing your hair will be inevitable with the type of frontline drug the majority of women are given who have ovarian cancer. How you go about dealing with this side effect...well...

Today my heart grew to its largest capacity as I became a grandmother. My beautiful grandson, Nathaniel, was born to my youngest child. My eyes filled with tears as I...

I have had several surgeries in my life, but none have ever involved extracting actual organs. From the CT scan, it appeared as though I was going to be able...

This article was originally published on BladderCancer.net and written by Alison Petok, MSW, LCSW, MPH. Sometimes when our lives are so busy and full, we may wonder, why do we...

You can do hard things – you are capable of so much more than you ever thought possible. This is the advice I’d give to myself on the day I...

Women can be terrible at taking care of their own personal needs. We're wired to take care of everyone else first. Cancer snaps you out of that caregiver role, and the...

"The Beyond the Cancer Diagnosis Survey is now closed. Thank you for your interest!" Receiving a cancer diagnosis can change life as you know it. While some treatments and side...

Upon my initial diagnosis of ovarian cancer, my phone didn't stop ringing. Food, cards, and gifts kept appearing. People were always asking what can I do for you, how can...