Author: Abigail Johnston

I'm a daughter, a wife, a mother, and I've been living with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer since March, 2017. All of the words I publish are my own.

Holding Space

I had never heard of this concept before my cancer diagnosis and I must confess, I SUCK at holding space.  I have a hard time sitting still and so much of the time I spend listening to people, I'm thinking of how I can help them, how I can meet their needs.  Just sitting in … Continue reading Holding Space →

Medical Marijuana

I am not a doctor. I am not a medical provider. None of my statements in this blog should be taken as anything other than my own conclusions and personal experiences. Anyone who knows me knows how much of a rule follower I am.  I've been been this way since I was quite going and … Continue reading Medical Marijuana →

Congressional Support

Thus far, I've been successful in getting my insurance company to cover what my doctors have prescribed and, thus far, my private disability insurance company is behaving itself.  Being an attorney does come in handy when it comes to fighting with various organizations -- when someone tells me no, especially when I know the answer … Continue reading Congressional Support →

Fertility, Infertility and Secondary Infertility

This is a topic fraught with so many sensitive issues and let me say up front that I am not an expert on any of it. What I am is a woman, a daughter, a wife, and a mom. Some background on me ... I delayed having children on purpose because I wanted to build … Continue reading Fertility, Infertility and Secondary Infertility →

Medical Professionals

At last count, I have over a dozen doctors that I have open and active treatment with.  This does not include the entire medical team I had up in Orlando before we moved to Miami.  Going from seeing one doctor once per year (before cancer) and never having much of anything to say or write … Continue reading Medical Professionals →

When People Pretend

Since I was diagnosed with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer in mid-2017, there have been two people that I followed closely on social media who were "outed" as not actually having the level of illness they had claimed. I'm not going to use their names in this blog post because this is about me sorting … Continue reading When People Pretend →

ATM Mutation (Originally published in Wildfire Magazine)

If you don't already subscribe to Wildfire Magazine, go sign up now!!  It's amazing and you will get content from a wide variety of talented men and women. A version of this post was originally published in 2018 in the Genetics edition of Wildfire. When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, my breast surgeon … Continue reading ATM Mutation (Originally published in Wildfire Magazine) →

Feeling Fragile

Most days, I have sufficient energy to keep up with the boys, to attend my doctor's appointments and to do the things that need to get done, to do the laundry and organize homework. Most days. I'm not at my former level of energy, but with judicious rest and a LOT of help, including the … Continue reading Feeling Fragile →

Discharging Student Loans

Like millions of Americans, when I went to college, I had to take out loans.  My loans from undergrad were tiny, like less than $2,000.00 and I paid them off by working multiple jobs each summer and breaks.  However, law school was a very different story.  I still worked during the school year and worked … Continue reading Discharging Student Loans →

Hear My Voice Class 2019 @ Living Beyond Breast Cancer, some thoughts

Philadelphia is cold!! It's also a bit gloomy and the air is crisp and cool. This Florida gal is freaking chilly. Oooh, ships!! Those were some of my internal thoughts upon landing in Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon. In light of the fact that I sprained my left knee AND ankle recently after a fall, I … Continue reading Hear My Voice Class 2019 @ Living Beyond Breast Cancer, some thoughts →