It's with many many many mixed feelings that we officially announce our move from Miami back to Orlando in June of this year after the boys finish the 2021/2022 school year. As many of you know, when I was diagnosed with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer back in 2017, we moved to Miami to be … Continue reading BIG NEWS!!
Category: General
I don’t want to be in the middle!!!
As the eldest of six (6), I've never experienced the woes of the middle children, but I think I might be starting to understand a little of how/why they tend have some objections to the way they are treated. My experiences aren't the result of family dynamics, but the experience of being a patient who … Continue reading I don’t want to be in the middle!!!
When you feel brushed aside … a bit of a rant …
I’m not habitually a complainer. My main focus for most of my life has been to be a planner, a caregiver, a problem solver. I was the person that others asked for help with legal issues in my professional life and that definitely affected my personal life as well. Sure, there were always stressors and … Continue reading When you feel brushed aside … a bit of a rant …
Book Review: Hope Rising; How the Science of Hope Can Change Your Life
Recently, a dear friend and fellow MBC'er Andra Kalnins and her sister, Ilga Leimanis, began posting about their project entitled "Sister Hope." I was intrigued and followed how they presented the culmination of their discussions and activities as they worked together to process Andra's recurrent Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer diagnosis. As I did, I … Continue reading Book Review: Hope Rising; How the Science of Hope Can Change Your Life
Guilt vs Shame, Part II
In Part I, which was published last week and you can access here, I examined whether a person struggling with what they are labeling "survivor's guilt" are actually experiencing shame. My conclusion, based on the definitions, my own experiences, and some research, was that there is a combination of both. One element that I believe … Continue reading Guilt vs Shame, Part II
Book Review: The Gardener and the Carpenter
A little over nine (9) years ago, my husband and I became parents for the first time after some struggles with infertility (I had a hormonal imbalance). That day feels like 100 years ago and yet yesterday. Prior to our eldest son's birth, we spent a lot of time talking, thinking, and reading about parenting … Continue reading Book Review: The Gardener and the Carpenter
Guilt v Shame, Part I
Recently, I was talking with someone who doesn't have a genetic propensity for cancer while her sister not only inherited the propensity but also has de novo Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC). In discussing how this dichotomy is dealt with in their family versus my own, she mentioned that she has had to deal … Continue reading Guilt v Shame, Part I
Genomic Testing of Liver Tissue
Back in January, I had a biopsy done of two of the three largest liver mets that were part of the progression found by the January PET/CT. I wrote the following three (3) posts as we learned more about the first soft tissue metastases that we've ever been able to test: Brace, Brace, BraceReceptorsMutations Become … Continue reading Genomic Testing of Liver Tissue
Aging and Cognitive Decline
One of the scariest side effects of ongoing cancer treatment, for me, is the affect on my cognitive abilities. There's a fancy term for this -- treatment related cognitive impairment -- but most people call this "chemo brain." For me, it was years after IV chemotherapy when a physical medicine doctor finally noticed that I … Continue reading Aging and Cognitive Decline
Book Review: The Gifts of Imperfection
Reading has often been an escape for me. I learned to speed read at some point in my schooling years and part of that experience is to immerse myself wholly in whatever I'm reading. Since my diagnosis with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) in 2017, reading has become even more important. From learning about … Continue reading Book Review: The Gifts of Imperfection
No Half Measures 