One of my most favorite things about the trip to DC this year for the Metavivor Stampede and METup's Die In, was the opportunity to participate in the first public readings of IV: A Documentary Intervention. We've been reading the script in workshops via Zoom for the last several weeks and I was familiar with … Continue reading IV: A Documentary Intervention
Saturday mornings have never been the same for me. They are now a Grief Anniversary; a perpetual, involuntary holiday where my heart marks its injury over and over and over again without me getting a say in the matter.Since that terrible day there has rarely been a Saturday morning regardless of what I’ve been in the middle of, when I have … Continue reading Grief anniversaries
2019 marks the 2nd year in a row that I was able to attend the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). This conference is the largest annual gathering of breast cancer medical professionals in the US and includes attendees from all over the world. The sheer number of languages I heard while walking around is … Continue reading San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2019
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
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 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 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
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?
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!!
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
No Half Measures 