The Gift of Time in Advanced Cancer

Posted June 26th, 2018

I was watching the news the other day when two stories of tragedy caught my attention. The deaths of two people – one by gun violence, one a car accident – got me thinking about how the lives of these people’s families were changed in an instant. They didn’t have a chance to say good […]


Bob Riter

Crossing the Bridge from Early to Advanced Cancer

Posted August 30th, 2017

When you’re first diagnosed with cancer, you cross a bridge that separates the “healthy” from those with cancer. You’re entering a scary place, but the focus is on curing the cancer and getting back to the land of the healthy. There’s another bridge that’s less visible to the general public. This bridge separates people with […]


Bob Riter

Learning to Coexist With the Uncertainty of Cancer

Posted September 11th, 2015

I routinely talk with people who have just been diagnosed with cancer. They’re struggling with treatment decisions and the realization that life is suddenly different. I also talk with people with advanced cancer who are coming to terms with a poor prognosis and the realization that, in all likelihood, they will die prematurely because of […]


Holiday Gifts When the Cancer is Advanced

Posted December 4th, 2012

About this time last year, I wrote a column on buying holiday gifts for people with cancer. I discouraged gifts that focused on illness.


Cancer As A Chronic Disease

Posted July 2nd, 2012

More and more people are living with cancer – Bob takes a look at living with cancer as a “chronic disease.”