As we prepare for a last getaway for the summer of 2025 and prepare to go back to school for the 2025/2026 school year (will have a 5th and 7th grader this year!), I realized that I passed eight (8) years of living with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) in June and didn't mark … Continue reading Medical Updates, August 2025
Medical Updates; May 2025
A lot has happened in the last few weeks and I so appreciate all of you who checked in, sent me texts and memes and cards and gifts and presence. It's always good to be reminded of how many people care and how vast and deep my support system actually is. And while I would … Continue reading Medical Updates; May 2025
Active Shooter Drills
One of the silver linings of losing my career at 38 years young is that I have more time to volunteer and participate in my children's education -- certainly came in handy during the pandemic and we were doing some semblance of school from our homes. As my health has ebbed and flowed over the … Continue reading Active Shooter Drills
ReBlog from a dear friend, Donna Charlevoix: Cancer Drugs 💊 and Research 🔬
April 19, 2025 Hello friends and family! A quick update on things cancer-related, as you can expect from this blog! My hip is fantastic. No pain at … Cancer Drugs 💊 and Research 🔬
Waiting, waiting and more waiting
Before my Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) diagnosis in 2017, most of the waiting I can remember was for good things -- waiting for holidays or special family events; waiting to get married, waiting on the arrival of the kiddos or for them to open up a gift. There were some not so great … Continue reading Waiting, waiting and more waiting
Documenting Life: Photography and Metastatic Breast Cancer
Over the weekend, we had a photoshoot. It’s not an abnormal experience, in fact I’ve prioritized photoshoots with my family for Christmas and Mother’s Day every year since my de novo Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) in 2017. This past weekend was our annual Mother’s Day photoshoot and I can’t wait to see the … Continue reading Documenting Life: Photography and Metastatic Breast Cancer
Navigating Patient Vulnerability During Medical Procedures
Recently, I had my ninth (9th) procedure since my Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) diagnosis in 2017; it was the third procedure involving a port and the sixth (6th) or maybe seventh (7th) location. Many details aren’t at my fingertips or at the top of my mind, but I’ve learned a lot since 2017 … Continue reading Navigating Patient Vulnerability During Medical Procedures
The Fragility of Hope
One of my favorite medical shows is Grey's Anatomy and in a series of episodes, there is a surgeon who has a brain tumor. Dr. Nicole Herman isn't on the show for very long, but she had several poignant comments about hope; that when one is living with terminal inoperable cancer, hope is most devastating … Continue reading The Fragility of Hope
Sexualizing Breast Cancer = Everyone Loses
The author critiques Super Bowl commercials by Novartis and Pfizer for their insensitivity towards patients suffering from breast cancer. She argues these ads sexualize a serious illness, neglect male patients, and misrepresent risks associated with early detection. Emphasizing the need for authentic dialogue, she calls for corporate responsibility in addressing breast cancer.
Gatekeeping
January is always a month of changes in the context of health care. A new year and a new month comes with a reset of deductibles and out of pocket maximums and often copays as well. With the implementation of some healthcare provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, people who have Medicare Part D are … Continue reading Gatekeeping
No Half Measures 