Today, I fly to San Antonio for the annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). This is the second year I've attended and I'm looking forward to learning a great deal and meeting lots of new people. I'm also looking forward to seeing advocates and allies that I've met. It's like a big family reunion … Continue reading The Language of Respect
Category: Advocacy
Compassion and Choices
I wrote a blog post a while back about how I believe the government needed to back off of their involvement in personal choices having to do with bodily autonomy. If you want to read more, you can access it here. I completely understand that regulations are sometimes needed and that a functioning society often … Continue reading Compassion and Choices
Community
Community is so important for everyone at every stage in life. Community becomes even more important when an illness intrudes into "normal" life or when life changes. When one does not find that community amongst the relationships or groups already in place, then the question becomes, where does one find that community. There have been … Continue reading Community
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the United States, celebrated yearly on the fourth Thursday of each November. I didn't know that George Washington issued a proclamation after a request from Congress to recognize the holiday in 1789 but it wasn't officially declared a holiday until 1863 by Abraham Lincoln. What is Thanksgiving? In the … Continue reading Thanksgiving
Am I really making a difference?
Translating the world of living with a terminal illness to the world of the healthy is fraught with pitfalls and odd experiences. Language and details that I'm so used to now feels like a foreign language to healthy people. Yet, despite all of the talking and blogging and sharing articles about how to talk to … Continue reading Am I really making a difference?
Stop Comparing!!
A little while ago, during the month of Pinktober, Rethink Breast Cancer shared this meme on Instagram. The mission of Rethink breast cancer is embedded in their name, for people to rethink what breast cancer is and, if I'm allowed to extrapolate a little, to think beyond the pink fluffy stuff touted by the pink … Continue reading Stop Comparing!!
Self Care
I've seen quite a bit recently about how important it is to practice self care. Self care looks very different for different people and, I believe, can reflect the personality of the individual. I confess that I've not always been particularly good at self care and I would often push myself much farther than I … Continue reading Self Care
Showing up
What does it mean to show up for someone? I've thought about this quite a bit over the past several years. Prior to breast cancer, I would have focused only on tangible things. Like literally showing up at an event, delivering a meal or donating necessary time. I still think of these things first. I'm … Continue reading Showing up
Book Review: Flash Count Diary; Menopause and the Vindication of Natural Life
Finally, a book about menopause that I wholeheartedly agree with. Like the author, Darcy Steinke, I've attempted to understand the affects of menopause rather than medicate it all away. The author talks about the mainstream menopause authors and how each falls prey to the traditionally male conclusion that aging women must take hormone replacement therapy … Continue reading Book Review: Flash Count Diary; Menopause and the Vindication of Natural Life
Changing the World
I saw the meme below on Facebook some time ago and it made me chuckle. And then I thought, is this really funny? Why would I automatically find it funny? Could have been the person who posted it or could have been the context. I believe the concept behind this meme, strongly. Here in the … Continue reading Changing the World
No Half Measures 