10 Ways to Become Infected with ‘Helper’s High’, Even After a Cancer Diagnosis

Posted May 25th, 2017

Did you know that giving and volunteering stimulate the reward center in the brain, releasing endorphins and creating what is known as helper’s high? And like other highs, this one is also addictive. My husband, Gary, volunteered at Shepherd’s House, a men’s rescue mission, three mornings a week for two or three years while living with terminal […]

Putting Dreams on Paper

Posted May 18th, 2017

I’m at a coffee shop—one of those fabulous local places where the high ceilings thrum with industrial pipes and funky lighting, and a large garage door is open to let in the mountain air—waiting for two of my creative team members. Jim and Michelle are meeting me here to brainstorm over some needed changes to […]

How Spontaneous Are You?

Posted May 10th, 2017

On a fine spring day this week, I had a hankering (what a great word, hankering … does anyone use that word anymore?) to trek back to the place where I scattered my husband’s ashes after he died of cancer, after he lived much much longer than the original prognosis: Ten preposterous brimming courageous years with late […]

Who are you traveling with?

Posted April 27th, 2017

A number of fellow travelers accompanied me through this past week. And I’m pretty sure—based on the therapeutic sheer pleasure of hanging out with them—I’m much healthier than when the week began. There was my cancer-kicking, wilderness-hiking posse at our season opener: Six gentle miles along the Metolius River. And my Walking for Wellness gang—also cancer-kicking—who […]

Cancer Diagnosis: 15 Excellent Answers to “What next?”

Posted April 20th, 2017

Back when Hubby and I first heard those unbalancing epic words: “You have cancer,” I remember thinking, Where do we go from here? Keep in mind that every cancer patient and diagnosis is distinctive, and therefore some of the items listed here won’t apply, or at minimum, need a disclaimer. Better nutrition and increased physical activity, for […]

Celebrating a Life Well-Lived: Random Thoughts

Posted April 11th, 2017

Family and friends gathered in Idaho this weekend to celebrate a life well lived: Mom-in-law Ivalene, who died of complications due to pancreatic cancer. Since the Celebration of Life service, a few random thoughts have been swirling in my brain: Random thought #1 — about people There were the usual suspects at mom-in-law’s service — you know, […]

Cancer and Financial Toxicity: 6 Tactics

Posted March 20th, 2017

My friend, upon turning 40, had a mammogram. Suspicious areas showed up in both breasts, which precipitated an ultrasound, two biopsies and additional mammography. All to the tune of $4,000. Although no cancer was detected, my friend needs to return every six months for images. “High risk,” they said. “We need to watch this closely,” they said. Here’s the […]

11 Secrets I Learned About Living After Losing

Posted March 14th, 2017

After Hubby died of cancer, I relocated to southern California, claimed my daughter-in-law’s pink-rimmed bike as my own, and said Yes to several not-necessarily-planned-far-in-advance adventures. Adventures, such as … Puerto Rico with son and daughter-in-law, spring break with daughter and son-in-law on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, full-ride scholarship to writers/speakers conference in Cincinnati, meeting long-lost […]

22 Ways to Support Your Newly-Diagnosed Friend

Posted March 6th, 2017

Over the past few years, a number of people have asked about best ways to support a newly-diagnosed-with-cancer friend, neighbor, or family member. Or how to support a close friend who just learned a loved one had cancer. Keeping in mind that every cancer patient will be at a different place in terms of diagnosis, long-term prognosis, and state […]

A to Z On Living Well With Cancer

Posted February 22nd, 2017

Being an obsessive list-maker, if given the assignment to sum up the things Hubby’s cancer taught us about living and dying well with cancer—and if the assignment required an alphabetized list—it would look something like this (you’re going to need to work with me on a couple of these): Adversity It happens. None of us are […]