As many of you know, I'm white and my husband is black. Before I met Elliot, I didn't understand much about the experience of those who are black in our country. Elliot (and his family) have taught me so much about race and the experience of those who are not white in our country. After … Continue reading #PullUpaSeat
Category: Advocacy
Glossary of my Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) Experience
A is for Advocacy, because I don't know any other way to do this living with MBC thing. B is for Baths since soaking in an Epsom salts bath each night has been so helpful! C is for Camaraderie, since MBC is the worst club with the best people. C is also for Cowabunga, which … Continue reading Glossary of my Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) Experience
Betrayal
Definition of betrayal 1: the act of betraying someone or something or the fact of being betrayed : violation of a person's trust or confidence, of a moral standard, etc. the betrayal of a friend, a betrayal of trust, a betrayal of one's principles.2: revelation of something hidden or secret a betrayal of one's true feelingshttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/betrayal Betrayal is such a tricky thing. The definition is seemingly straightforward; yet the experience of betrayal … Continue reading Betrayal
Pain, Healing, and Purpose
Pain can take many forms. As a pretty concrete person, when I hear pain, I first think about physical pain. Since I live with chronic pain, I'm well acquainted with this kind of pain. However, I'm also acquainted with psychological and emotional pain, not just as a woman living with terminal cancer, but also as … Continue reading Pain, Healing, and Purpose
Cancer Prevention vs Risk Reduction
I've said it over and over -- language matters. Language matters a great deal. A hot button issue for many in the cancer community, for a variety of reasons, is the terminology around awareness and prevention. It's such a hot button for me, I just shuddered as I typed those words and I've heard others … Continue reading Cancer Prevention vs Risk Reduction
Dynamic/Invisible Disability
I've written a lot about labels and fitting into groups of people or feeling a part of a group of people. I think that means I think about it a lot. Bottom line, as I've said over and over, belonging and feeling accepted is fundamental and words/labels really do matter, especially when you are a … Continue reading Dynamic/Invisible Disability
COVID Vaccine, Part I
I've seen so many people assert quite confidently that the COVID vaccine is perfectly safe and an equal number of people quite confidently say that it is not at all safe. Who is right? I have no idea. Were you thinking I'd say something else? I do have a lot of opinions and I'm not … Continue reading COVID Vaccine, Part I
Surge Capacity
However you want to describe my personality, I'm a good person in a crisis. I am able to assess and understand data pretty quickly, and I've honed my ability to collaborate and find solutions amidst the chaos while holding myself aloof from the emotions. It helps that I'm usually able to wait to fall apart … Continue reading Surge Capacity
One hour person
I was recently watching The Resident on Fox and one of the depictions of the patient's really resonated with me. As an aside, if you don't already follow The Resident, let me suggest you try it out. Lots of really interesting behind the scenes depictions of health care! I'm sure it's not 100% accurate; at the … Continue reading One hour person
SABCS 2020
The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) occurs every year and is the largest gathering of breast cancer researchers and clinicians in the world that I know about. I've attended the conference in person the last two years and it's overwhelming in size and content. For 2020, as with most conferences, SABCS shifted it's content … Continue reading SABCS 2020
No Half Measures 